The Last Fight
by CassieKnight
Summary: Cell has remained in the distant background as Sasara lives her life raising her son, Satoru. See summary inside. 6th story in series. Please read & review!
1. Need

**:Story Summary:** For seven years Cell has remained in the distant background while Sasara has lived her life peacefully while raising her son, Satoru. Circumstances will bring them together again and Cell will learn of the secret that Sasara has kept from him and everyone else for seven years. As if that wasn't enough, Cell must enter a fight to not only save himself but also the one person he cares about. The problem is, he can't do it alone.

Really bad summary...and I'm not good at them. XD

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! Yes, I have not fallen off the face of the Earth after all…and it's been an extremely long time since I tapped into the fanfiction realm. So sorry!! But I'm back and I am throwing a huge attempt at yet one more Cell fic. And this time I'm trying something new…this is the typical (somewhat) continuation of my Cell saga concerning Layrial, now Sasara OC's, but this time the story is being told from Cell's p.o.v. I was going to do it as usual and keep it as Sasara, but there would be parts where she wouldn't be present, therefore how would she know what's going on exactly? ;) So I'm giving this a shot…hopefully it goes ok! And as usual, the first chapter is always rough, and short…but I have the whole summer to work on it!

As a regular note, I own nothing…that's why I'm just writing fanfiction and not real selling stories. Also, _**if you have not read the previous stories**_ to this series, you might want to consider doing so. Unfortunately this one because of its nature will be harder to follow without some background knowledge and Cell is not one who will completely reflect on everything that's happened over "thirty years" time…so please visit my other stories, starting with _Shadowed Spirit_.

Oh, and the title is weird and goofy and I'm not sure it fits…it might, it might not. But I hate posting something without a title, so I just threw this on. It'll probably stay though. We'll see. BUT…please review and tell me if you're interested in this so far. I'm hoping I hear from some old friends that have shown appreciation for the previous installments. I write this one for you and new fans!

Okay, enough of my babbling…onward!

_**The Last Fight**_

**Chapter 1:** _Need_

_Since the dawn of my existence I have never considered humans even remotely adequate and substantial to my standards. The only reason that I spared a few in my travels is for the mere concept that destroying them all at once would leave me with nothing in the end. _These were thoughts I have been stringing over and over in my mind for nearly three decades. Each word is true in every sense of the matter when it concerns the general topic of humans versus me. However I had never anticipated the consequences toying with one average human would have had on my life.

That one incident of meeting this reporter had changed the course of my life and had altered my purpose. I had tried to keep myself on the same track, to ignore the affect she had on me. But in the end my efforts were futile. I had lost sense of who I was and in the long run my path was veered off course for good. This woman, Layrial, was not the one I had to worry about. Although I had once thought she was the one my mind could not erase from memory and I had taken her with me when I departed Earth for what I thought would be the final time. Instead her daughter was what I found myself yearning for more of.

I shame myself into thinking that I had a need to be near this woman, Sasara as her name was. Her mother had died and yet I did not think twice about it. However, the human state that I was forced to be in was more of a concern. During the escapade in space with Layrial I had come upon this wizard who claimed to be the brother of a former nemesis of the same nature. Of course he was who he said; the ugly resemblance of a mutated imp was overwhelming proof. He had said he sought revenge for the death of his brother, though the original demise of his sibling was not by my hands. However, though blind I was at the time, he cursed me and the human woman to the point where I would be caught in a place I could not escape from one form of torment or another. Layrial became drastically ill and at the time I had a contrast of heart. I could not bear to see her suffer and thought it best to return her home.

Naturally I did not listen to the words of this Bebidi, the wizard whom I should blame for any furthering of my already-off path course. He had told me that I would suffer if I returned to Earth. I will not deny that I had an ego that shrugged this off immediately. What harm could I possibly face, I had wondered. Bringing Layrial back to Earth was the most logical choice, yet it turned out to be the worst for me. Upon entering the Earth's atmosphere I too fell under the spell that was this wizard's magic. So it seemed that by bringing Layrial back and trying to help her, I put myself into the worst possible situation. My body was the punishment that he had intended for me. My supreme powers dwindled beyond recognition and my body transformed into what I despised most of all—a human.

How poetically correct was the nature of Layrial's daughter, Sasara, finding me in my weakened state. She had first noticed my transformation into the lesser form and forced me to her own residence. I should admit that I had no other choice; I might not have survived as easily as I had under her roof since she provided me with the nourishment a human requires.

But of course this sequence came with more consequences that my life has seemed to be unable to avert from. I would have blamed it on my weakened state, the possession of a human body and probably the influence of human emotions on top of it all, but I still feel the ache deep inside when I think of her. Being that close to her and having her open herself up to me as if I were not who I had always been, but someone that she was able to confide in made me lose all control. I had done something that I never considered possible for more than one reason. And upon learning that she was already in a relationship with another made me feel envious—an emotion I am not accustomed to and felt despair with, regardless of my perfect nature.

As time owed itself, our little affair was short lived and as the story goes, I did not win the girl. Nor did I really want to. However, there has been one reason or another that I have given myself to not abandon the planet for good and continue on with my own life. Instead I have come and gone, but always returned to the hillside by her homestead where I may watch her. She soon wed the man I had been struck resentful of and a child soon appeared thereafter. I cannot deny that the jealousy in my soul has been blackened with the mistrust I had in her, to allow herself to go to him instead of me.

Then again, I knew this was the best. I did not want any ties with another human, and she did not belong with such a fellow as me. However, to lose something to a mere human that has no physical, not to mention no more than basic mental capacities has sullied my pride. I have tried time and time again to ignore this and see past this slight slip in my perfect design. I had thought at one time nothing could penetrate me, but this woman has been tormenting me much longer than I would have ever anticipated possible. Her mother is nothing but a distant memory. She, on the other hand, though I have not exchanged words with her in nearly seven years, as been a thorn placed in my side that cannot be dislodged. I feel that I will forever be infected by her existence and her hold on me.

So why do I reflect upon this so closely now? Today had been no different than any other. I have been standing here for nearly 24 hours watching the small house, listening for anything that was not part of nature. I saw her through the windows, moving around doing whatever it was she did every day. Her child begged her for something and she willingly gave it to him, the spoiled brat. Her husband, that man Kei if my memory serves me correctly, said his goodbyes and vacated the premises to go to work, wherever that may be.

Perhaps it is because for the past few days I have noticed something in the air that is familiar, yet different. There was something brewing in this neighborhood and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't anything wicked or malicious, so there was nothing to get excited about. I have not been in a good fight in years. As a matter of fact, I have been extremely bored as of late. So perhaps this _thing_ that has gotten into my head is nothing but my imagination trying to create something to anticipate…to explore to keep myself occupied.

Of course that could not have been the real reason; it was far too simple-minded of me to think that I would create an imaginary scenario just to occupy myself with. So what is it?

I watched as Sasara went out to the front of her house to put something in that contraption humans called mailboxes. Her son soon followed and it was then I realized there was something about him that I became curious about. I could feel a presence in him, yet I knew that he was just another typical human child. Perhaps it was really my mind playing tricks on me and I wanted there to be something about this boy. I refuse to admit it had anything to do with the fact that it could possibly give me an overdue audience with Sasara.

Time passed and I stood on that hillside for those hours. Sasara eventually allowed the boy to play outside. I had this horrible urge to go down and snatch him, to show her that she was not as watchful as she thought she was. It would serve her right…and it would give me another chance to see her. Oh, how I wish I felt nothing for her; I wish even more that I still had the ability to fight this urge and deny everything. Yet that has long since passed and I have just given into this emotion of longing.

It's the only thing I have ever surrendered to…and no one but me is aware of it.

And as if fate was actually listening to me the tables turned as Sasara's young and stupid boy wondered into the woods behind his house. What was even better was that she was completely unaware.


	2. Games

**Hello Everyone!:** Well, thank you all that reviewed for those lovely comments from new and old fans. I was very pleased to see that everyone was excited this was posted and is interested in the new p.o.v. form of telling it. I finally really got into it and now I just want to spend every minute working on it…but obviously that can't happen. However, I have finally satisfied myself with chapter 2 and I think its good enough to post…and it's much longer than the first chapter. Remember, if you have questions or comments about what's going on, feel free to ask and I will address them in the next chapter. I have found that sometimes I write something and think that everyone understands exactly why I did whatever and clarification needs addressing. This time around most of you said the same thing with the same enthusiasm…and it really was appreciated ) Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: **_Games_

It wasn't unusual to see the young boy playing outside, but usually he did so when his mother was outside or had a close eye on him from elsewhere. This time, however, I did not see Sasara near any of the windows and when he started to further him from the building she was not there to call him back. I was mildly intrigued by the boy's curiosity, as if he had never been away from home before—which he probably hadn't. I was far enough away for him not to notice me, but I could still closely watch him picking up random objects from nature.

Then he disappeared. I turned my head slightly towards the house to see that there was still no stir from within. I had a feeling that eventually the boy would make his way up here eventually since there was an unkempt path that led to where I stood. If he had any sort of brains he would follow it. What I would do if he did just that, however, was beyond me. I have never been fond of children and have found them useless and annoying. No doubt Sasara's child would be the same.

As I had expected I heard him humming to himself from somewhere behind the trees. I made no move to turn, but waited to see if he would eventually appear and find me. I had no fear of him doing so; in fact, I almost hoped he would. It was a way for her to come looking for him and perhaps I would have the benefit of a confrontation. Life has been quite boring, after all.

I was most highly amused at how oblivious this boy was! He moved into the open where he would most certainly see me, but he was so busy looking at the ground for whatever unusual objects he had hoped to find that he took no notice that he was not alone. Not at first, that is. He moved closer and then ducked behind a bush. He then came waltzing out with something in his hand that made my upper lip turn in disgust. Between his scrawny fingers he held what appeared to be a centipede, or an insect of that nature.

"Do you delight in playing with dirty bugs?" I finally said, unable to resist opening my mouth at this point. I was interested in his reaction.

The boy dropped the bug and it hurried away behind him. His eyes, however, looked me over several times. He resembled his mother to a point, but he had more of the coloring of his father I imagined—pitch black hair and a thin face. As a matter of fact, his entire body was thin. He was tall enough I suppose for someone so young and immature, but he was far too gangly; obviously not the type to be a fighter.

"Don't stand there with your mouth open, boy," I scolded. "Either say something intelligent or scram."

He looked at me oddly and then tilted his head. "Who are you?"

"That makes no difference," I replied stiffly.

"Why are you dressed so weird?"

Perhaps I was wrong about wanting him to find me so it would work up a confrontation with Sasara. If I were to see her now I would have every intention on telling her that she's been raising a fool for a son. "I am not _dressed weird_, boy. You are not too bright."

"Oh," he said and came up to me. "You sure are tall though."

I'm sure many would assume he's just young and naïve, maybe even…_cute_ with the way he stood there with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open long enough to let silly comments spill out, but I found him rather annoying. However, it was the first time in years since I had a civilized conversation with someone on Earth, and although he was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, I would probably find some amusement for a short while. "What is your name?"

"I can't tell you," he said boldly and stood straight up as if suddenly becoming defensive in place of his curiousness.

I chuckled lightly to myself at his childish response. "I suppose your dear mother told you that you are not allowed to talk to those you do not know." He nodded quickly in reply, in a manner mind you that could have given him whiplash. "Well young one, you may go home and tell your mother that you ran off from your yard and came waltzing up to a stranger and talked to him—but you were good enough not to tell the stranger your name."

He looked at me with a bit of a confused gesture, but I believe he understood my basic meaning behind my lengthy statement. He put his hands behind his back and looked away but he didn't run away just yet. "What's your name?" He finally asked.

"Ah, you think that you are entitled for an answer from me yet you refuse to answer my question first? That is quite rude," I said.

At first he wasn't sure what to say in response to this, but I could see he tried to think hard. Finally, though, he came back with something that rather shocked me, regardless of how simple and plainly stupid it was. "Well, if I knew your name then you wouldn't be much of a stranger anymore. But besides, you're an adult. It's different."

"It's no different, youngster. Knowing a person's name does not take away the fact that we are still unacquainted strangers. But if you must know, my name is Cell. And when you go home you can tell your mother that you have met me."

Again, an inquisitive look appeared on his little face. "Why?"

"Because I have met your mother and know her quite well actually."

"Nuh uh," he said quickly and rather loudly. He really was an obnoxious twerp.

I snickered nonetheless and turned to him fully, my arms coming down to my sides and my fists clenching for the simple reason of intimidating him. It worked enough where he took a step back and his eyes became wider when he realized my full size. "You don't believe me?" I asked him with a smirk. "Then go ahead and tell her. See if my name rings a bell. I'm sure she'll at least give you a surprised face and will not give you an answer right away—that'll immediately tell you that she does know me."

Before I could even expect anything further from him or the conversation, he turned and high-tailed it out of there. I couldn't be sure why; it might have been the last bit he needed to see when I turned towards him fully, or perhaps it was the fact that he suddenly realized I was a possible threat. Either way I caught sight of him running out of the woods and into the back door of the house.

**xXx**

I felt that I had nothing more to witness for the time being at Sasara's residence, therefore I had left for a few days and went to various places around the globe. My boredom with life brought me to destroying various landscapes and a small village on the outskirts of some western country. I could tell that I was at a point where my life was starting to become meaningless and I had nothing to strive for. I hadn't had an opponent to fight against in years; I had completely lost interest in destroying Earth and running around terrorizing people had grown old as well. I needed something new.

I had to face it; I was bored enough where I returned to the hillside by Sasara's small home and stood there for yet another day. However, it seemed that she had not been home because some older woman was watching the young boy now. I saw her several times going outside with him and eventually she sat on a lawn chair reading while the youngster played on a swing, which oddly enough looked like a tire hanging from a rope.

There was a slight urge within me that beckoned me to draw attention to myself. I wanted to fly down there and kidnap the boy to cause a disturbance. However, it would have done no good with that old lady there; I would only want a reaction out of the child's mother. I held back that urge and remained still, watching silently as he amused himself in his yard.

And as I felt I was about to fall asleep from the extreme lack of entertainment, I caught a glimpse of him moving from his swing to the old woman. Oddly enough he waved his hand in front of her face. Upon closer inspection it looked as if she was sleeping, for her head was tilted back and the book lay open on her lap. I immediately understood what was swimming in the young boy's mind now. Within seconds my theory was proven to be correct; he hurried to the back of the house and disappeared into the woods.

Minutes later he stumbled into the openness of the hillside where I had planted myself, his chest rising and falling quickly from being out of breath—very poor running skills obviously.

"So you have dared to return?" I asked him.

"You were right!" He said whilst gasping for air. "You were right!"

"I usually am," I said although I wasn't completely sure what he was talking about.

He straightened up and took one final deep breath before abandoning attempts to calm his lungs. "You said that if I asked my mom about you that she'd look surprised! She did! And then she didn't answer me and said I should just go to bed! That means you were right!"

The memory of telling him this came back to me quickly; I must be losing my touch if I couldn't remember something so trivial. Yet it surprised me even more that he remembered enough to try this and looked beyond what I said and how she reacted for the truth. "Of course," I replied. "And yet you come back here even though you probably understand that she has no desire for you to be near me."

He tilted his head and stared at me. "Why not?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to him, though my arms still were tightly crossed over my chest. I was wrong to assume he understood her reaction to its fullest. "Use your head, boy; she wants nothing to do with me, otherwise she would have responded to your question and told you something about me or how she knew me. By her not answering you and sending you to bed means she wants to you to forget that we ever met. She will become suspicious of you now if you ask her anything further."

As he pondered my words I smiled to myself. What I said was true; she would suspect him coming to me again and I knew that would strike fear into her. The last thing she would want is her son to be in my presence.

He sat down with his legs folded and looked up at me with a dumb grin. "My name is Satoru."

"Oh so now it is okay for me to know your name," I stated with a hint of dullness in my voice. "So what now, Satoru? Am I to expect your company daily now?" It was obvious his comfort level had grown with me practically over night. I knew that he would soon get on my nerves and become a nuisance.

"Yeah! We can play!"

"We are not going to play," I nearly snapped. "I do not _play_. I have much more important things to do than to sit here and be involved with foolish games of a child's."

"Oh," he said with disappointment. "What important things?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said you have important things to do," he repeated. "My dad says that a lot. What type of important things?"

I hoped that my face did not reflect my bewildered reaction to his question; for once I had no prepared answer since important things had not been on the "to do" list in decades. "Your father tells you that does he?" I said trying to distract the original question.

"Yeah," Satoru replied. "He's always going on business trips and stuff. He's a T.V. you know—that has a lot of important things. He's in China now until Tuesday."

"I see."

The boy leaned back on his arms and stretched his legs out, nearly laying down on the dirty ground. "He's fun though. He plays ball with me outside when he comes home."

"I know," I said under my breath. I had seen this scene many times in the past years. I have nearly witnessed this boy growing up, since I would make an appearance here and there. It has only been recently, though, that I have spent days at a time with only minor interruptions in that schedule standing and staring at the house. I had grown tired of space travel and felt that I had to stay away from that before I became far too uninterested with it.

"You should come home and meet Mom and Dad."

I laughed at this. How innocent the child really was. "I dare say not," I told him.

"Why not?"

"For reasons that must remain unsaid," I stated. "Perhaps someday you will understand. But this begs me to ask; where is your mother now?"

"Oh, she went on a trip with Grandma this weekend," he said nonchalantly. "They're coming home tomorrow."

My brain took this in with thrill and I immediately came up with a brilliant plan. "Satoru, I have a fabulous idea."

"What's that!?" He shouted with excitement and sat up straight.

I smirked and turned to him completely. "Try to come back here tomorrow and if you do I will show you something that you have never experienced before."

"Really!? Like what?" The eagerness in his face was nearly priceless.

I could feel my blood start to flow quicker and my mouth twisted into what I'm sure was a devilish grin. "That will remain a secret until then. Run along now and remember what I said."

Without further question he got to his feet and started to jog back to the path. Before he got far, however, I called him and he stopped within half a second. "I suggest keeping this a secret. I wouldn't tell the old lady down there."

"Oh, Mrs. Fiddler? Okay! Bye Cell! See you tomorrow!!" And with that he was gone.


	3. Trepidation

**Yet more: **A third chapter for everyone to enjoy. I really don't have much to say about anything except thank you very much for the wonderful reviews again! I didn't expect to actually finish this within a day, but I was on a roll. The next chapter will be the one I've been waiting for (haha), but unfortunately I don't think I will get to it until at least Monday, which might be good come to think of it because then I have time to think and make it better. And I already know how the ending will work...just gotta figure out that middle part now. Aren't you excited? haha, kidding. So until then, have a nice weekend everyone and enjoy!

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**Chapter 3: **_Trepidation_

The young boy's eagerness to return to me the next day was nearly sickening. I watched him maneuver his way around the house upon his break from the front door; he practically tripped over his own two feet as he ran towards the woods. When he emerged from the rim of the trees he was completely out of breath.

"I'm here!" He announced.

"I see that," I responded dryly.

"Mrs. Fiddler doesn't know I'm here," he continued proudly. "She was making my bed when I ran off."

I had to give the boy credit; he was not the little saint as I had expected him to be. He probably could have easily remained in the scene until the woman fell asleep again or she sat down to do something that did not require paying close attention to the lad. I daresay Sasara missed something in raising him thus far. I had to respect that quality in him.

"What time does your mother plan on returning?" I asked eagerly.

Satoru shrugged and looked at his home in the near distance. "I dunno," he replied. "I think before lunch…I don't remember."

Figures; the boy lost his bonus points already with the vague answer. I ignored it quickly, however and turned to him. "Well then, I believe I promised you a surprise."

"Yeah!" He shouted and nearly jumped into the air; his small fists balled up and rose slightly. "What is it?"

"It's not so much what yet, but where," I told him. He stared at me with that common questioning face he has shown before. "I will bring you there first, and then show you."

"Oh," Satoru said standing up straight again. "Where's your car then? I want to go now!"

His excitement was childish, yet rather amusing. The kid had no idea what I was about to do; how naïve he was to think that I had a vehicle that would bring us to the destination. On the other hand, he had never been into the _real_ world so he had yet to witness anything remarkable in his short years.

"We are not driving anywhere," I said. "I have a much more practical mode of transportation that does not involve any sort of automobile."

Satoru cocked his head and bit his lip in obvious attempts to think of something without wheels that would serve our purpose. I saved him the struggle, however, and moved towards him. "I am going to fly us there."

"Fly?" He said and looked around. "You have a plane?"

I held back the urge to growl at his stupidity. "No, of course not," I nearly snapped. "Have you not noticed that I do not look like you? I am capable of much more than you realize and one of my abilities is to fly without the use of an engine or any other structure besides my own body."

"Cool…" he said in near disbelief. He came up to me openly, though, and looked behind me. "Are those your wings?"

My eyes widened with the question and saw that he was examining me as if I was an odd looking bird of some sort. "Yes, but they are not the reason why I have the option to fly," I replied dully. "They are merely part of my body that serves a type of…balance if you will."

"So they don't flap?"

That was about as much as I could take of his ignorance. "You will not ask me any more foolish and childish questions, understood?"

His glassy blue eyes stared at me with hurt and disappointment. "I'm sorry…" he said softly and stepped away from me.

"And I will not have you sulking either," I warned him. "Such things are a sign of weakness and any opponent you have in your midst throughout your life will see this and will ultimately win any battle."

"But I don't get into fights," he said with that same pitiful tone.

I felt like slapping my hand against my face in frustration. How does Sasara put up with such a child? How does any parent, for that matter? "Perhaps you should so you can toughen up. You are obviously a coward and have no qualities of a man in you."

"Well," he said as-a-matter-of-factly, "I'm only six and a half."

It was time to drop the subject. He was starting to annoy me to the point I was going to toss him back home and leave for good. What I did instead was reach down and pick him up by his arm to toss him over my shoulders. He immediately let out a yell and grabbed my neck for dear life, his legs swinging over and dangling against my back.

"Now I suggest you hold on tightly," I told him. "If you let go I will not save you, understood? And I am known to be quite fast, therefore do not take my words as mere words, but as truth."

"Is it going to hurt?" He asked and then stopped suddenly as if realizing he just fell into the 'stupid question' category again.

"Only if you do not obey me," I replied and was off.

Immediately I heard the scream from him as we soared into the air, the wind smacking our faces with a force I'm sure he was unaccustomed to. There were enough clouds in the sky for me to go straight up and slosh through, moisture beading on our bodies as I did so. I stopped suddenly above one, my feet barely touching the thickest portion of a cloud.

"We are really high!" He shouted with joy. "This is really cool!"

It wasn't the reaction I was actually prepared to hear. Unlike his mother and grandmother, Satoru was ready for the adventure and eager to experience more. "So are you ready?"

"Yes!"

I had to keep myself in check and not go to fast since there were two things likely to happen if I did so: for one he would eventually lose his grip or two I would kill him with the force of speed he had never been through in his…six and a half years. I heard him squeal with excitement, however, and even manage to scoot up to get a better look over my shoulder. With this of course came the urge to test how well he could hold on. I decided to give a quick dash to the left and although I felt him slide slightly, he still had a good grip.

_Let us see just how well he can do with this_, I thought to myself deviously. I dived straight down with accelerating speed. He screamed with sheer delight, but as I expected he started to loosen his hold on my neck. I scooped down and back up, my ambition to go faster getting the best of me and finally it happened. He was gone.

I stopped and saw him falling fast. His screams were no longer ones of happiness but utter fear. Like any person who thought they were about to fall to their doom he kicked his legs and flailed his arms. If I was observing correctly he was crying as well.

"Pitiful," I said. Although now I remember my comment that if he let go I would not save him. With a short sigh and went down after him, gaining on him with every second that passed. _Perhaps a lesson is in order,_ I thought.

Upon catching up to him I matched my speed to his rate of falling and looked at him with a small grin. "Crying and yelling will not save you."

"Please don't let me fall!" He yelled, the tears flying from his eyes, his face red with terror.

"Why should I save you? You are crying like a baby. If you show me that you are capable of being stronger then perhaps I will stop you from hitting the ground."

"Please!!" He hollered, more tears flowing freely now.

I laughed at him; I couldn't help myself. I had not seen such fear in someone's face in so long. I had not had a thrill of being on the top in years. For once I was in control of what was going to happen. It thrilled me!

Yet I remembered that this was Sasara's son. Letting him die would do me no good if I had wanted a civilized audience with her again. Perhaps I should just save the twerp and let it be. Although…that would mean that I gave in to a bratty individual.

"I said help me!" He yelled and snapped me out of my brief daydream.

I was surprised to see that he was no longer flailing and howling, but rather firm and angry at me. With this I thought less than a moment to decide to catch him in my arms and finish the plummet to Earth on my own accord. We reached the ground and my feet landed with ease. I put the boy down right away and he backed up, the back of his hand wiping away remnants of tears.

"Why did you laugh at me?" He asked with a hint of hatred painted on his face. The change, however, was that he was not asking me humbly; instead there were traces of anger in his voice.

I reflected a grin back at him. "You were making such a scene because you were scared," I told him. "The only way to overcome fear is to fight it. Were you scared after I laughed at you?"

He looked away for a moment and then shook his head.

"I thought not. That is why I saved you," I commented. "You overcame yourself and yelled at me. That is much more respectable."

"You're mean," he said suddenly. "Is that why Mom doesn't like you?"

"You do not know if she likes me or not," I pointed out. "You merely saw that she was denying my existence, if even that. And it does not matter to me whether I ever won her affection. I merely told you that I knew your mother from the past."

Satoru said nothing. He just stood still and nearly firm. I waited for a few moments to see if he would loosen up and return to his normal self; however he was holding a stiff grudge against me now. I had to hand it to the kid he was serious when the time called for it. Perhaps he was more worthy than a pathetic existence than I gave him credit for.

"Are you going to stand there and pretend to hate me, or do you want to continue to our destination?"

"I dunno," he said still refusing to give me eye contact.

I frowned slightly. "The next step you must climb is to realize when you should hold a grudge and when you should not. You should be proud of overcoming a fear, not stand there and hate the one who pushed you to reach the goal." With those words he relaxed and bowed his head in shame. "That's more like it," I said and picked him up again.

I didn't try anything more as we neared the spot, which was nothing special, save for a large mountain in the distance. There were few trees, few dwellings and too much open land. I knelt down so he could slide off, his body painlessly scraping against my wings. As I stood back up he reached out his hand and put it against my right wing. "It feels smooth," he said more to himself than to me.

I ignored his comment and turned towards him. "So, are you ready to see your surprise?"

"Yeah," he replied, but the true excitement he displayed earlier was absent. I had successfully put him into a shameful mood and knocked him down off his high horse for a while. I was sure it would return.

I held out my palm and kept it at eyelevel with him. He watched for a moment, his eyes focusing in wonder at my hand. Then they became wider as he saw the small glowing gold orb before him. As if completely mesmerized by it he instinctively reached up to touch it.

"I suggest you don't touch," I warned. "You might regret it."

His hand fell back and his eyes dared a sweep up to my own before asking, "What is it?"

"It is a small fraction of my energy," I explained.

"You're making that? Like…you thought it and it appeared?"

"For the most part," I said in slight amazement at his assessment. "Of course this is such a miniscule portion that it is virtually harmless." At that point I made it bigger, perhaps ten centimeters in diameter. "I control its power source, its size and what happens to it."

"Can you make it disappear too?"

"Of course," I replied and let it fade to practically nothing. I heard a "wow" escape his mouth as I let it regain its previous size. "Would you like to see what this can do, Satoru?"

"You bet!"

I smiled. The boy had no idea what he had just agreed to. I raised my hand higher than he stood and allowed the ball to grow a few more centimeters before finally tossing it forward. Satoru's body turned quickly and watched as my energy ball flew towards the mountain and disappeared from site. Within seconds, however, he witnessed the first explosion I'm sure he had ever seen. The mountain blew apart, light streaming from the center and pieces flying towards every direction. A massive gust of wind and dirt came pouring over the village before us and the shockwaves sent the wind far enough to blow Satoru's hair rapidly for a half a minute.

When the dust settled his arms lowered themselves from protecting his face and he gasped at the sight. "You blew up the mountain!" He shouted. "How did you do that?!"

"Did you not believe me when I said you could regret touching the ball?" I asked. "I am a very powerful being, Satoru. You are standing in the presence of someone who could do a lot of damage to Earth."

"…you're the one…"

"I beg your pardon?"

He looked at me with those glassy blue eyes that were so reflective of what he was thinking that I became interested in his thoughts. He continued without me pestering for more. "You're the one I heard Daddy talking about…the one that made a lot of trouble and nearly hurt everyone."

"Go on," I said with eagerness. I wondered what else he had heard about me.

"My dad was arguing with Mom….I don't know why, but he was saying that she risked her life too many times for _him_…because he was too dangerous and even mentioning him was like a sin."

I chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure I am the one he spoke of," I replied. "Your father has a great dislike for me for reasons you do not need to know."

"You don't seem that bad to me, though," he said, which actually surprised me after the display of emotion he showed only perhaps ten minutes ago.

"I'm sure you will change that view point in time," I smirked. "However, our fun is over for now. It is time to take you home."


	4. Reunion

**Oops…:** So I guess that my "I'll have it posted next week" think from a month ago didn't go so well. I do apologize to those who have been waiting eagerly for the next chapter to be posted. Life got the better of me though and unfortunately I had to put writing fanfiction at the bottom of my things-to-do list. Granted I have been trying to get back to it for over a week now, and even though I finally got this chapter typed I'm not completely satisfied with it. I had it planned out in my mind a bit better before, but I felt that if I let it sit any longer that you guys would have to wait like another 2 weeks before seeing it since I'm going on vacation this week.

SO…here is the latest installment…and I'm hopefully going to try to start the next Monday before I leave, but if not…please enjoy until I get back :) Don't forget to review!!

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**Chapter 4:** _Reunion_

Satoru was rather annoying on the way back. Apparently the child thought I was some sort of super-hero (or something to that extent) since I had "special powers." Not only was he asking me a multitude of questions, he also couldn't stay still as he hung off my shoulders on the way back to Sasara's homestead.

"Have you ever killed someone?" He asked, one of the many questions I was just listening too and not answering. But this one, in a way, seemed almost wrong to pass up. The child thought me as someone who he could completely trust…someone who was not dangerous in the least. The only thing, in all honesty, that made me even consider him somewhat worthy of life was the fact that he was Sasara's son. Otherwise, I would not bother with him nor care if something were to happen to him.

"I have," I replied after the brief thought about whether or not it was worth telling to such a young mind.

He was quiet for nearly a full minute, which indicated that he either didn't believe me at first or was surprised I replied with what I'm sure he expected to be an unlikely remark.

"How…many?" He asked slowly, as if worried to ask the question and receive the answer.

"Thousands."

"Why?"

I sighed. Children are so ignorant. "Because they were either annoying me, a necessary tool to attract the attention of certain people or I was merely bored."

"…Oh…"

Finally he was quiet. I hadn't heard a word from him until we broke the barrier of trees below and came upon the quaint house. I easily landed and Satoru jumped down as if it were still a marvelous game. Before either of us could say a word, however, the yells of his name from below caught our attention. I turned slightly in the direction the voices came and saw the old woman whom Satoru escaped from and Sasara roaming the front yard and frantically yelling his name repeatedly. I hadn't realized we were gone that long where she would have come home. It worked out perfectly.

"As if continuously calling would make you appear if you haven't already," I found myself saying out loud.

"I'm in big trouble now," Satoru replied rather timidly. "Mom doesn't like it when I play away from the house…especially when Mrs. Fiddler is here."

I smirked. _Sasara will be even more displeased to discover why her child was missing_, I thought. "Well, you should run along before she has a fit."

"Okay," he said without argument. Apparently he no longer cared about the adventure the stranger he now stood with offered him. "I hope she doesn't tell Dad. He'll be really mad."

"I wouldn't worry about your father too much," I told him earnestly. "But do this for me, Satoru. Tell your mother why you had disappeared. Do not tell her my name, but just tell her what you did with me today."

"I can't tell her it was you?" He asked with a funny expression smeared across his face as if more confused than ever before.

"No," I said. "Just tell her what you did. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Good. Oh, but perhaps you shouldn't make it to clear to Mrs. Fiddler. We don't want everyone to know about our little secret, do we?"

"I'll tell Mom later then," he said. "And I won't tell her it was you."

"Good lad," I smiled. "Run along."

I watched as he took off into the trees and disappeared. Before long he was shouting "Mom!" and appearing from the edge of the woods. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself when Sasara immediately started scolding him and slapped his bottom for disobeying her and running away like he did. She also mentioned that it was irresponsible when the old woman was there watching him and that he should apologize for it. I couldn't restrain my eyes from rolling when the old lady stood there as if waiting impatiently for him to do so.

I almost felt bad for the boy when Sasara grabbed his upper arm and nearly dragged him into the house. She was rather enraged, I imagined. But now that they were inside the house I couldn't hear how Satoru presented his escapade to her. Damn the girl for being so strict.

I figured Sasara would immediately come storming from the house and up here to where I'm sure Satoru would have told her I was. When an hour went by, however, and she still hadn't appeared I was beginning to wonder what was going on. Did he not tell her? Did she not care? Or was she too caught up in her son's faults that she misinterpreted whom he was referring to?

It was agonizing. I was not one to be patient and having it been two hours before even a stir came from the house nearly drove me insane. I don't believe my eyes even parted from the front door until a car rolled up the driveway and an unfamiliar teenager got out with what appeared to be a flat box…I believe it was pizza, if my vocabulary of human foods served me correctly. Sasara appeared at the door and took the box, the kid returning to the car and leaving.

Another half an hour passed until something happened again. By now I was at the point where I was going to just leave and forget the whole thing. If it was taking her this long to make an appearance then perhaps she wasn't as intrigued about a reunion as I was. However, finally she came out and did something I did not expect. She got into her car and drove away.

I was furious. Nearly furious enough to remove that stupid tree that I had once shoved my fist into years back in her front yard. I wondered for a split second if Satoru would sneak out of the house again, but after several minutes had passed and he did not, I figured he didn't dare try anything of the same nature again. It seemed that his mother had a tight hold on him and he did not disobey her often. Pitiful, in my opinion.

As my thoughts wondered a bit further as what I should do with myself now, I heard something or someone approaching. By the life force I knew immediately that it was human; it was another moment before I realized that finally Sasara had arrived.

I didn't turn to her when she appeared behind me. Instead a small smile crept along my lips as I continued to stare at her quiet house. It was almost embarrassing to admit I was happy to finally have her here.

"I can't believe it," she said at once. The tone of her voice was not light and gentle like the last time I had heard it. Instead it was spread with hatred and anger, which was not surprising or devastating to my ego. On the contrary, I was used to it.

"Ah, Sasara," I said smoothly, "so kind of you to finally join me."

"I heard what you did, Cell," she nearly snapped. "What makes you think you can lure my son into your filthy hands for a joy ride?"

"Such bitterness," I said as I turned to face her. My eyes roamed her figure quickly but I took in each delicate detail to its fullest. She wore casual clothing, more casual than I had ever seen her in during our first meetings; her hair was shorter but still that beautiful shade of dark blue. Her dark eyes stared at me with resentment, but they were still breathtaking. To think that this one single human had such a hold over my superior being was unthinkable…but it was very much true.

"You're damn right I'm bitter," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't believe you would do such a thing. I thought you had finally given up and disappeared from here."

"Oh, I had left for quite some time," I admitted. "But for some reason I wasn't satisfied with my little exploits in the universe. I always seemed to be like a faithful dog and come home to watch you."

"That's almost scary to think about, Cell," she said with a scowl. "Why can't you just leave me alone? My life was fine until now."

"It doesn't have to be turned over," I replied. "I merely thought I would introduce myself to your son since he's old enough to know the truth."

For a strange reason her eyes became dark and very wide. Her lips parted slightly and her face took on an odd shade of gray. "What truth…?"

I studied her features for another second or so before answering. "That I exist and that his mother has had a few experiences that she keeps to herself. For example, how we met. Which reminds me, did you ever tell that buffoon of a man you're with?"

"He's not a buffoon and yes, I have told him. He knows everything…" Her voice trailed off which again I found a bit odd considering her nature, but I let it pass like her initial reaction to one of my previous statements.

"Well then, had you told Satoru?"

"No," she said quickly. "I didn't want him to know about you. I wanted him to be completely oblivious to your existence except for what he learned in school—but even that wasn't until a few years from now. However, thanks to you, I'm sure I'll be getting phone calls from teachers in years to come asking about his sanity since I'm sure he'll blurt out that he met you. No one knows you're still alive, save for a few people."

"Not that it matters," I said. "I have behaved myself on your behalf."

"Lucky me."

"I would consider yourself lucky, Sasara," I said with a smile. "Even Layrial had more difficulty with me than you did. You should be honored I was willing to have a play-date with your son."

"You're such an arrogant bastard, Cell," she hissed. "I don't want you going near my son ever again, do you understand?"

My eyes narrowed and I could feel my blood begin to boil. She did have a lot of nerve to start something like this. "And what are you going to do about it? Call the cops? Sasara, I daresay that you have nothing over me."

"I'll tell him that you killed my mother…you killed his grandmother."

"That is not true," I said very sternly. She was beginning to push the wrong buttons. "You know damn well I had little to do with your mother's downfall."

"Oh, but you did," she stated, obviously happy with herself that she quickly found something worth arguing with. "She would still be alive if it weren't for you taking her."

"It was her choice Sasara," I stated harshly. "Just like it's your choice to stay with the Neanderthal."

"Stop talking crap about him!" She snapped much more loudly than before. "Cell just get out of here. Go away, will you? I don't need you to ruin Satoru's life."

"How is this suddenly about Satoru?" I asked.

"It has to be," she stated. "Why else would you be here? You have to have some reason to have suddenly waltzed back into my life…what, do you think that he'll grow up to be just like you?"

Her reactions to what I believed were simple statements by myself were becoming confusing. But I couldn't help but laugh at her with this latest sentence. "Of course not!" I continued with my chuckles. "How do you expect a boy fathered by such a weak individual to become anything close in comparison to me?"

She was silent for a moment, but I did catch a slight mumble of, "His father is stronger than you think," coming from under her breath. I ignored it, however, and waited for her to say something more intelligent.

"Then what is it about, Cell?"

She almost seemed a bit calmer now. I could see her tense arms relax slightly when nothing was spoken for several moments, but our eyes never parted. "I was merely bored," I half-lied to her. "I needed something new…someone to talk to perhaps, even if this senseless arguing is annoying me. I figured perhaps you would have enjoyed some different company than that of which you live with."

Finally Sasara let out a deep sigh and let her arms drop to her sides. "I don't want your company Cell. I appreciate what you have done for me and what you have given me…but I don't want my family to become abnormal or destroyed because you're mixed in with it."

I stood silently for a while and waited for her to say something more, but when she didn't I saw that she must have been serious. "I see," I finally spoke. "You seem to have changed, Sasara. You are no longer that spunky young girl I met how many years ago. That disappoints me."

She gave me a half smile, but then looked away from my gaze. "In a way it disappoints me too, Cell. But I need to do what's best for Satoru. I don't want him getting mixed up in anything."

"Yes, you have said that, but I don't understand how you figure my interest in you will affect him. He was merely a decoy."

"Because it seems that every time you have entered my life—or my mother's—it has turned into a battle of some sort and someone gets hurt."

"Well, if you know your mother's stories well enough, you should know that I was the only who usually died. You should not be so worried."

"I won't wish you dead, Cell," she corrected me. "But I don't want anything bad to happen either.

I inhaled deeply but did not let it out just the same. I studied her expression of what seemed to be almost sadness traced with anger and disappointment all at the same time. "If this is how you feel," I said, almost feeling completely defeated by mere words from a simple human woman. I couldn't believe that I even bothered returning to her. "However, answer me this…what did the boy tell you?"

"That he flew with someone who blew up a mountain…who had funny looking wings."

I held back the laugh. I felt far to whitewashed emotionally to be bothered. I was so surprised this did not turn out as I expected it that I was becoming angry with it. "So you immediately thought of me. Why then did you not come up here at once?"

She laughed as if my question had the most obvious answer. "Because I couldn't let my babysitter know where I was going or allow Satoru to follow…I ordered pizza to calm everyone down and then had him go to his room. I only drove down the street to hide my car to make Claire believe I was actually going somewhere like I said."

"Oh how clever we are," I said dryly. "But I believe this is where we part once again."

"Yes, it is," she said. "Please don't take him from me."

"He's not worth it," I said stiffly and saw that the words seemed to smack her in the face. However, her mood had shifted to such sadness that she did not fight back. Instead she turned away and disappeared to return to her car.


	5. Defeated

**Greetings**: First and foremost, I greatly apologize for my long absence from this story. I know it has been well over a month…(more?) and I'm horribly sorry. I have had such a busy summer that it's almost a blur in my mind now what I actually did through it all. However, you may thank my clumsiness as I believe I have broken my toe and it's kept me seated and bored nearly half of today…so I thought I would update. And finally, this chapter—which had been started since I last posted—is finally to where I want it. Well, for the most part. I am unsure how long it will be again until my next post, so I won't make any promises. If indeed my slight injury isn't recovered by the morning, I just might be provoked to work on this again.

Reviews are highly welcomed. I don't believe I can respond to any previous reviews, except thank you very much for them all!

Enjoy!!

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**Chapter 5: **_Defeated_

Having nothing better to do and finding no interest in terrorizing a random village or destroying city buildings, I remained on the hilltop next to Sasara's house. I couldn't help myself from going up to the windows to hear what was going on in terms of conversation. I spent nearly the rest of the day after her confrontation listening for something interesting, but she gave no hint to either the old lady or Satoru that she went to see me—which was not unexpected.

Before long, however, I finally had a better idea. The day after my brief meeting with Sasara I decided to stir things up a bit. I did not want her to think that her lecture would keep me away; on the contrary, I was now more ambitious to make myself present. The old woman had long gone, giving meaning that Sasara probably was going to be staying home for once in her life. I idly wondered if it had anything to do with her trying to "protect" Satoru from me. As if I had an interest in him.

It was fairly early in the afternoon when I went to the front yard and stood in front of the tree that I had once cracked when I was in that grotesque human state; the wound in the bark had healed, but there was still a visible vein that weaved itself up the trunk indicating what had happened. Although I usually did not stand in such a manner, I decided to cross my arms and lean against the trunk, my left foot propped against the bark for minor balance support. I waited patiently for one of the two people inside the dwelling to appear.

Finally the door opened and Satoru's face was the first I saw. Although he started to run out he was dragged back immediately when his mother, who was right behind him, glanced up to catch me standing there. She pulled him to her and held him protectively. I couldn't allow the smirk to restrain itself on my face.

Young Satoru said nothing as he stared at me and then looked carefully up at his mother. Sasara, on the other hand, replaced her initial look of surprise with one of loathing.

"What do you want?" She asked me.

I chuckled to myself and pushed away from the tree, taking only a few steps closer to them. I half expected for her to back up, but she did not. "I'm merely looking for some amusement."

She frowned heavily at me and leaned down to whisper in her son's ear. "Go inside and go into your room for now. I'll call you out later."

"But Mom, I wanna—"

"Go Satoru! I am telling you, not asking," she snapped.

Of course he listened, but not before turning to me and giving me a small smile and wave. I did not respond to him; I only saw the action with my peripheral vision. No, my eyes were locked on Sasara's, who immediately returned eye contact when her son started to go inside and shut the door. The moment it clicked behind her she started her verbal attack.

"WHY Cell!?" She asked. "Why can't you just go away?"

"Sasara, you act as if I'm like the plague," I answered.

"You are," she replied quickly. "I was serious when I said I don't want you near my son. He doesn't need you."

"It is not him I care about," I stated while standing up straight, my hands falling to my sides. "It is you I want the audience with."

"For what now? Didn't you say enough yesterday?"

"I did not think of this yesterday," I said openly. "But I decided it was a worthy enough idea to ask you."

"Don't bother, my answer is no either way," she said.

I laughed and crossed my arms again. "You did not give me a chance to ask."

"It won't matter. I have to take care of Satoru."

"Forget the boy," I shrugged. "Call the old woman again and ask her to watch him if it concerns you so. I would think you would rather have something more exciting than playing with toys with a child."

"Cell, that's what its like to be a parent," she retorted. "You obviously wouldn't understand; but I promised the weekend with him and you're not part of it."

"Satoru obviously wants me to be," I said with a broadening smile, my eyes glancing at the window next to the front door.

Sasara turned immediately and I could imagine the look on her face since the boy charged to the side and disappeared from sight. "I wish you hadn't done what you did with him," she told me. "Now he can't stop thinking about it and wants to be just like you…just as I feared."

Yet again I laughed. "You have no fear in that, my dear Sasara. He has no potential."

She bit her lip and looked at me oddly, as if examining me. "He's more like his father than you think," she started. "OH! Cell, just leave…you're going to make me say something I don't want to if you stick around. Please…you don't give a rat's ass about me or Satoru, so just go find someone else to bug for _your amusement_."

I chuckled. "I think not. But since you refuse to hear my harmless question then I believe I shall have to turn towards plan B."

She glared at me in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to kidnap you."

Before she had a chance to run I had scooped her up in my arms and took off. She struggled something fierce, yelling loudly in my face and using her one free arm to bang against my shoulder. I barely felt the tapping, but I could not keep myself from the small bit of annoyance that struck me as she continued her futile attempts to escape my grasp.

I didn't go far before I couldn't take it any longer. I had figured she would relax and let me bring her wherever I pleased. But by the time we were just on the outskirts from the city I had had enough. I went down to a vacant space that sported dry grass and a single sickly tree. The moment my feet touched the ground I loosed my restraint on her; she jumped away as if I was a horrible insect.

"What do you think you're doing!?" She shouted; her face was full of anger. I had only seen her like this once, when we first met, but even then I felt she wasn't this serious about the rage. Her face twisted at me in full hatred and she clamped her fists up tightly.

"What has gotten into you, Sasara?" I asked, although I could tell I had a large taste of bitterness on my tongue. "You seem to have lost your spunk."

"Cell, what part of _I want nothing to do with you_ do you not understand? I'm not the same person…I have responsibilities now and I'm not going to run off with you. Was that your big question to me?"

I said nothing as I stared her down. I could almost feel a twitch in my left eye as she stared back at me, her expression firm and her body unfaltering her stern body language.

I did not like this confrontation. I was not one to be spoken to like this without the invitation. I did not intend on creating a conversation like this, but to Sasara it seemed it was the only words she was willing to speak.

"I do think you should give up your attitude towards me," I stated, telling her with my own firm expression that I was unwilling to allow her to speak to me with such tones.

"My attitude," she stated with a sigh, her hands resting on her hips now. "Cell, read my lips…I'm done with you. I don't want you to ever come find me again. I…I was wrong when I thought I had feelings for you…."

Her voice trailed off, but my ears repeated her words. It didn't hurt…no, I refused to admit that it did. I was always the one to put it just so, to make the decisions. But this woman was telling me to basically get lost!

"This is because of your foolish son and pathetic husband, isn't it?" I nearly growled.

She looked away, her hair falling gently against her face as she tried hard to avoid my gaze. "Why are you being so persistent? Why am I so important to you?"

It took me a moment to realize that tears now streamed from her eyes. I was completely shocked at this and I was having a horrible time understanding how we even got to this point. What confused me even more was why she was now crying when only seconds ago she was practically staring me down as if to kill me.

"There is no reason," I lied, though I refused to even tell myself it was a lie. "Perhaps I was merely trying to satisfy my conscience on my thoughts for you."

"You don't have a conscience," she said under her breath, but it did not go unheard.

I frowned and stepped up to her, standing straight as can be. My hand took her chin between my fingers and I forced her to look at me. "You say that, but you still walk the earth because of me. I am the one who allowed you to stay with your moron of a man. And this is how you thank me, Sasara?"

I had known during our last adventure that she was highly involved with that man, whatever his name was. I even knew deep down that he had every intention on protecting her and making a life for her. However, I did not like the competition. It made me feel ridiculously defeated when I thought about how she would rather be with a weak individual like that than attempt anything with me.

Then again, her mother's life ended because of me. I could not provide her with the requirements to fulfill her human needs. Sasara knew this, blamed me for it on several occasions, yet I still tried to deny it…even at this very moment.

Sasara tried to pull her face away from me, but I kept my grip. "I have my reasons for avoiding you."

I released her and let her take a step back. "So enlighten me," I told her. "What are these reasons?"

She bit her lip, turning around so she no longer could face me. "For one, you hurt me every time I see you…whether physically or mentally. And two, you have no idea how to treat someone right. You're far too egotistic and selfish to even consider those around you. I don't want to be involved with someone like that and I don't want Satoru to be near that either."

Without thinking twice I turned her right around and held her shoulders with my hands. She looked at me with a tear-stained face, her eyes trying not to let more fall. Her mouth was clamped tightly shut, but I could tell there was more she was keeping from me.

"What aren't you telling me, Sasara," I demanded firmly. "Do you love me or not?"

She was quiet for what seemed like a long time. "You don't know what love is."

My hands tightened on her. "Answer my question."

"You should already know."

I leaned closer to her, our faces only inches apart. "I want you to tell me to my face. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't have even the slightest feeling for me."

When she didn't speak up, I pressed my lips to her own, pulling her closer to me, though my hands were still tightly bound to her shoulders. At first I thought she was giving in, letting her true feelings for me to express her confusing emotions and words. But then she stopped and wouldn't move. Her body stiffened and I could no longer continue the act.

"I will not cheat on my husband," she said quietly, but her expression was loud enough for me to hear ever-so clearly.

"You already did," I smiled, hoping that would strike a nerve.

It did. She reached up against the pressure I kept on her arm, her hand coming up and swiping itself across my face. I had no idea that it was coming and the befuddlement of it all allowed my head to swing to the side just enough to make it look like she hit me hard.

My hands released her and she stepped away quickly, obviously fearing my reaction to what she had just done. My own hand came to my face and rubbed it uselessly. It did not hurt, but the shock of it bruised me.

It took all I had not to become furiously revengeful and lash out at her in return. I struggled with the notion that she chose a human over me. I felt utterly embarrassed, though I knew I was good at hiding it.

"So this is how you want it then?" I asked, my tongue caked with the despise I felt for her at the moment.

All Sasara did was nod and then look away. She held herself in a personal hug, her mouth quivering with the fight she put up to keep the tears from rolling again.

"Very well," I stated. "Then this will be the last time you see me, Sasara."

I had no intention of even asking her if she wanted assistance home. It was her problem now. I would not look back at her as I turned and took off.

**xXx**

Later that night I had decided I needed to let out the rage that swelled inside of me. My initial thought was to do what I did best—destroy a massive community or perhaps even go take out my rage on the passing meteors in space. However, what came to mind before I was to do any of these things seemed far more satisfying.

I would kill the man that I lost to.

I returned to Sasara's house, which was lit brightly with lights inside despite the fact that it was only dusk. As I walked up the length of the property I glanced inside to see the boy huddled up on his bed, his face buried in his arms. I gave him a scornful stare, knowing that he was a product of Sasara's relationship with the one I sought. Perhaps I would destroy him as well.

My keen hearing picked up something that distracted me from those thoughts, however. Shouting. I moved further up the length of the building and glanced through the window of the sitting room that I remember once being in myself. Though the two shouting were not in this room, I knew exactly who the voices belonged to.

"How could you keep such a thing like this from me, Sasara?" The human asked. "You go on for six years and figured it was best not to tell me? Did you think I would never find out?"

"I didn't think you would!" She cried back. "He wasn't supposed to ever come back! I wouldn't have told you now, but I thought it was the best thing and it was time to let it out in the open. I've never told anyone!"

"I bet you told him!"

"Never, Kei! I refused to tell him! I love _you_. I don't want anyone else."

The human, Kei, suddenly became visible through the entrance to the kitchen. "You're lying," he snapped. "I've always known you loved him. I should've stopped this when you cheated on me the first time. I should've known that he'd eventually come back for you. You should just go with him."

"No!" Sasara said coming into view. "He has nothing for me."

"I'm sure that's a lie too. Hell, who knows what else you've ever told me is a lie."

He moved away from my line of sight and I saw Sasara jump towards him, leaving my vision as well. I heard her pleading reaction to whatever he was doing, however.

"Kei, please don't do this. Please….I beg of you. If not for me, then for Satoru."

"He needs to get used to the idea that I don't belong here. I can't take the lies anymore Sasara. And I can't allow myself to be involved with a person who wants to deal with a monster."

"I don't want to deal with him! I want nothing to do with him! Look at what he's done to my life," she proclaimed. I scowled at the obvious jab at me.

"It's always about you," he said and then I heard a door slam.

I moved up to the rooftop to see the scene from above. Kei was moving towards an automobile and suddenly Sasara was following, hysterical.

"I'm begging you, please don't go," she sobbed. It did nothing. Her husband got in the car and drove off, obviously not even slowing down.

I felt a twinge of that revenge I sought stream through me as she fell to her knees. A very small part of me had the urge to go down to her—whether to laugh in her face or to consul her, I don't know. Instead, however, I left completely. There was nothing more I could do here to get back at her. I would find another purpose for myself.


	6. Truth

**Repost: **Hello everyone. Forgive me if you were one of the few that had read the previously posted chapter 6 I put up last night. I decided that before I hated myself with the outcome of this story (and changing this chapter like I did really does affect the entire thing) I should delete and try again. It's actually the first time I did this, so I feel weird about it and again, I apologize. But in all honesty, I think this chapter has come out much, much better and my original intentions for this story will be satisfied. I only did it the previous way thinking perhaps the ending would be more dramatic—wrong! Hehe.

So basically what I did was just add on to what was already posted. This time, however I did proof-read the entire thing, so if there are any blunders in typing that's just me overlooking it instead of being lazy.

Chapter 7 may be posted by the end of this week since it is already half written…but I might change some things again. I'm going to sleep on it ;)

Please review after you've read! Seriously…I felt a little disappointed that 10 people at least opened the chapter…but no reviews :( Makes for a sad Cassie. Ha.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 6: **_Truth_

I stood atop a mountain peek, snow hitting me from all directions, the freezing cold air swishing past my body as if trying to knock me down. I was stiff, angry, betrayed. My lungs only took long, drawn out breaths in order to keep myself from doing something irrational. I do not know what emotion was hitting me harder: the rage or the feeling that I was stupid enough to even consider a human. Each time I have had dealings with this one or the previous it did not turn out the way perfection should have been. This must be why Dr. Gero created me with that one sole purpose and venturing off for another was against my design.

A large gush of wind picked up the top layer of the snow I stood in, washing it over my numb body. I did not experience the displeasure of the cold, but I was in such a damaged state that I could not even be bothered where I was or what was happening around me.

How did Goku and Vegeta do it? How did they continuously better themselves yet share a life with another? Why would they? My experiences have shown that it is more trouble than it is worth and the lives of power and romance can not be combined. In ways I could see how Goku could pull it off; he had the nature of a timid animal when he was not fighting. He cared far too much for those around him to be completely pulled into the power he possessed. Vegeta, though…he was a different character all together. Someone with his background, his experiences, and yet he found a human woman that he was highly attached to, had children with and felt the need to be loyal to all of them at the same time.

And here I stood, possessing each of their cells and I could not use those personalities to do more than what Gero had made me for. I, Cell, should have been able to conquer any task, yet I failed with this. A woman would rather slap my face after I had gone out of my way to protect her and show her my way of affection. She made me believe that she desired me…that night….

Perhaps it was only because of my human body she found attractive. She saw me in a different light…something closer to her own form. If that was the case, however, then what was the reason behind her motives before? What about her mother? Both women seemed to look past my alternate appearance and displayed emotion towards me.

The more and more I thought through this the more agitated I became. I could feel the surge of rage flowing through my veins…I had the strongest urge to destroy planet Earth at this very moment, fulfill my purpose that I was created for and go further into the universe to continue my conquest.

Yet I had stopped this for a reason…I have been alive for nearly ten years since my last death. I had so many opportunities to claim what was mine, and yet—because of _her_—I withdrew and stood to the side. There had been peace for a decade and I was part of that reason. I knew deep inside that she had a power over me that I was unable to break from.

But there is something else that I am unsure of. Why did I not feel far more devious and satisfied when her husband left her? I should have been thrilled beyond belief to know that he didn't want her like she didn't want me. The question that must be asked, though, is why now? If my math is correct, considering all of the different sides, then they had known each other for approximately eight years. In those eight years he has decided that suddenly now he feels they are not correct for each other?

And what did she keep from him? She claimed that she had told him everything about me. Although, perhaps not _everything_. I know enough about human jealousy that tells me that if he found out she was intimate with another person he would become extremely hostile of both companies. This would be a logical reason why he never left her after our last encounter. He knew I was there, but she must have assured him I was harmless to their relationship.

Why he should feel like this still, since he was the father of….

My head came up and looked into the snowy distance, my eyes growing wider at the thought that just struck me like a knife. Could it possibly be that _I_ am the father of Satoru? Could that be the secret she kept from him and even me?

Impossible. The boy is weak and a nothing. I would have felt even a slight form of energy coming from him. He has nothing special except his mother's features. I see nothing of myself in the boy, thus he must belong to that Kei. My previous theory must be closer to the actual truth.

This thought only made me feel even more hateful towards Sasara and her little family. Her mother at least had an excuse—I was dead at the time she had her fling. But Sasara…I had been there all along. She could have come with me but she didn't even try.

The sudden urge to destroy the mountain I stood on hit me. I yelled at the top of my lungs as I gathered up the power that was far more than necessary to destroy the pile of rock. Within moments I threw the blast below my feet and it crumbled, smoke rising against the falling snow flakes.

When the billowing smoke cleared there was merely a black hole below my feet. Snow hurried down to fill it, but I knew at that I could not stay here. Of course there was no one to come after me—I was much too far away from the likes of the Z Fighters for them to feel my surge of energy and hunt me down. I could not mentally stand the thought of being on Earth any longer.

And yet the latest theory I had created tumbled through my head over and over. I couldn't get it out of my mind, blast it! I yelled again, my arm shooting out to nothing in particular and a blast firing straight ahead of me. It streamed past a second mountain peek, clipping a large chunk off its side and continuing along into the far distance. Unstable rock crumbled from the layers I had just blasted, but I cared not.

I felt that I had to find out for myself. This was something that I knew I would think about until I knew the truth. The problem was I already promised her I would never see her again. The thought of breaking it had nothing to do with her; on the contrary, I felt like I was making myself into a liar if I returned, even if it were only long enough to discover the truth.

The decision had been made. I leapt into the air and flew at a heightened pace back to Sasara's homestead. As I traveled I felt the air warm and the snow disappear completely from the ground. Soon I was in the tropic-like area that I had known basically as my own home base.

I landed on the hillside, the same one I had stood on for years to watch her and her family when I allowed my body to rest and meditate. My eyes squinted and saw the boy still in his room, eyes seemingly proving that he learned that his dear sweet father had left him. He tried to play with a random toy truck, yet even I (who was unaccustomed to children's actions) understood that it was nothing but a show to prove he wasn't being affected by this turn of events.

I did not want the attention of the boy to be caught. I merely wanted a quick and simple answer from Sasara. To get it I had to lure her out of her house. Unfortunately, blowing something up to create a disturbance would only arouse the curiosity of everyone within earshot.

The best thought I could come up with in such a short amount of time was to directly stand in front of her window. I jumped down to the front yard and started to move towards an open window when I noticed she was already outside, sitting on the doorstep and that calling device humans called a telephone was clutched in her hand.

At first she hadn't noticed I was there; when she looked up with a heavily tear-stained face and bloodshot eyes, I could tell that the resentment of her husband leaving barely overpowered her loathing of me.

She let out a quick breath and tossed her arms in the air quickly, as if signaling someone. "I can't believe it," she barked. "What the _hell_ do you want now!? Don't you see!? You've won!"

"I can care less about what has just happened to you," I spoke quickly. "I came merely to resolve a theory lurking in my head."

"I'm not answering you," she replied steadfastly. "You are nothing but a terror and a tyrant. I hate you. I _hate_ you for this."

"Hate me all you want," I spat. "You are angry with yourself for whatever it was you kept from your husband."

"You heard what happened!? YOU LISTENED!?"

I growled. "Of course. I came here with every intention on murdering the poor bastard to teach you a lesson." My voice was thick and louder than normal. I had immediately allowed myself to jump into an argument without considering my own nature of coolness. It had been so long since I felt this sort of revulsion towards someone.

Without warning Sasara burst into tears, her face burying itself into her hands that still held the telephone. "Cell, please...I never wanted this for any of us. I thought I was doing the right thing—even when you returned."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I replied, trying to regain myself. "And I do not care. But if you are in this much pain let me just rid you of all of the memories. And perhaps you will realize what choice you should have made."

I held my arm out as if to destroy her house, but I knew it would only provoke her to open up. Of course I had accurately assessed the situation; she lunged up and tried to grab my arm, the telephone dropping from her hand and clanking on the ground.

"NO!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "Satoru is in there!"

"So what," I laughed. "If you think I am responsible for destroying part of your life, I think it best to just destroy it all. After all…I am just a _tyrant_!"

She grabbed my arm and tried to pull down on it with all of her strength. Her efforts were futile, but she was so desperate it nearly pained me to see her weakness. "You can't! Please! Don't do it Cell! I'm begging you!"

"Ah, like you begged your beloved Kei before he left," I said with as much sting in my voice as possible.

"This isn't the same!" She said and nearly fell over trying to turn my arm away when she saw the light forming in my palm.

"Move away," I ordered.

"NO! DON'T!! HE'S YOUR _SON_!"

My hand came down slowly and I gazed at her through offended eyes. Somehow I knew it was true, but the actual words hitting me made me want to rebel against what she had just said. The only reason I was considering this—the very thing I was here to ask her—is because I felt it was a theory I needed to prove incorrect…and here the very words I honestly feared to hear escaped her mouth.

The tears continued down her eyes slowly, her expression pleading for me to calm down and think things through logically. "That's why Kei left…I had never told him either."

I blinked. "He's _not_ my son," I said in a surprisingly calmer voice.

"He is…"

"That's impossible," I said more sternly. "The boy is weak. He has no sort of physical strength."

"You know that he being _yours_ is not impossible," she argued. "That and he's only six-years-old, which is exactly how long ago you were human. He's strong for his age, but nothing like you—obviously!"

"He will never be like me," I told her.

"That's why I never told you or Kei and let it play out the way it did up until now," she said moving away from me now. "I was afraid if you found out you'd take him and train him to grow up like you."

I frowned and stared at the house where inside sat my supposed offspring. The boy was a disgrace to my perfect being. To think that not only did I have a son that was nothing in terms of power, but a human son to boot. I had sworn to my creator I would destroy the human race, and here according to this woman I helped produce yet another feeble member of it.

I turned from her completely and took a few steps away to leave. I heard her gasp and make a move as if to follow. "Don't turn your back on us Cell, not now," she said.

"I turn my back on no one," I said. "I believe this was your choice all along. You should take the consequences. This time when I say you will never see me again, I mean it."

And I intended to keep my promise this time.


	7. Setup

**Yet another!** Alright, so I have been on a writing spree this week. See what happens when you're at home with nothing to do? I should be packing for my upcoming move, but alas, this is far more entertaining.

Before I forget, I do thank those of you who sent well-wishes to me on my pathetic little injury. I can see this is where I am very unlike the character I write about—I cannot stand pain for a moment. I'm a wimp. Anyway, besides that…

This story is drawing closer to its end. As I told someone earlier, I will probably only be able to drag this out to 10 chapters at the most…I wouldn't even be surprised, though, if 9 was the magic number. However, last night while I was laying awake for a lousy two hours, I decided that I really want to write this story again and show everyone what Sasara was thinking…my main reasoning is because there are such large gaps between her and Cell's encounters that it's almost unfair for you not to know how she's feeling. As **queenKathballZ** pointed out, she is much more laid back in this story…well, to a point ;) Besides, you know me…I can't let go of the series ;D

As always, review…pwease? And above all, enjoy!

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**Chapter 7: **_Setup_

_Two Years Later…_

The time seemed to move on slowly now that I was making it a point to stay away from a certain planet. I traveled approximately sixteen or so galaxies away from my home planet, entertaining myself by causing havoc in alien cities. A fact that surprises even me is that I never destroyed a single planet. I had no interest for whatever reason I kept from even myself. However, after two years of the same boring excursions I decided to make my way back to the Milky Way.

The only reason I returned to Earth was due to the fact that there was a large ship that entered its galaxy that was not human built. It wasn't large, but I happened to be nearby and felt the powers within. The ship itself was small enough to carry perhaps a few passengers and cargo, but no more than that. The energy I felt did not seem real…it seemed as if it was just being carried along. I could not determine how this seemed possible no less a reasonable explanation to why it was heading towards Earth, but I could not resist the interesting possibilities it offered.

However, once I reached Earth for myself I lost it. I went down to familiar territory and stood in the middle of the desert, tuning my senses for something that resembled the strange ship that I had just felt. There was nothing. Wherever it went I somehow seemed to lose it completely.

I looked around at my surroundings. I did not intend on returning to Earth…especially so soon. I believe it was nearly two years since I was last here. I even idly wondered if…

No, I shouldn't think about her. I was sure she was back with that man of hers, her son now older and probably just as much of a poor excuse for a human as any other. Yet I felt like now that I was here I should make use of my time.

_Damn it to all hell_, I thought as I engaged myself in flight.

I flew across the desert to Eastern City, knowing full well where I was and where I was heading, much to my self disgust. It took me no time to reach my destination. I landed on the side of the house waiting to see if I would hear her voice. I told myself it was only until I felt a surge of energy from that intriguing ship.

The voices from within were not what I expected. Two men sat inside playing cards, boasting to each other how good of a hand they had. I looked at them, not knowing either of their faces. Then a woman came in, a woman who was definitely not Sasara in any way.

She was gone. I had been gone too long to keep track of her.

Should I be disappointed I wondered?

As I thought about it I felt the strange power again coming from over the ridge. I ignored what was once the home of the woman I…never mind, the source of this power was far more important to me than the past. That human woman was a thing of the past that should not be revisited. I was far too good for the likes of her.

I followed it for several miles, further than I expected. I wondered what it was that was so strong at such a distance.

I came over the final hill and saw the ship sitting in the distance. It looked larger than I thought it was, but that was nothing to be worried about. What surprised me was that it seemed to be merely sitting there with absolutely no activity happening on the outside. This seemed peculiar to me, but the power felt even stronger…

Finally I decided that I would just go further. I flew easily over to what seemed to be the entrance of the ship, though it was camouflaged into the body fairly well. Strangely enough, however, it opened.

I prepared myself for whatever would come, but when nothing appeared and the ramp looked empty I stood straight again and waited. Then I heard something behind me and immediately twisted around to face a man that I had never met.

He resembled a human, oddly enough, but he was much taller and wearing thick armor. It was actually a rare occurrence to meet someone who was taller than I. He smirked at me under a brown mustache and beard. Dark eyes were set in a smooth face, though his hair was streaked with white that made him look older than he probably was. What caught my interest, though, was that I could feel no source of energy about him.

"Well, I didn't think it would be this easy," he said to me.

My hands balled into fists prepared to take him on the moment I felt it was necessary. For the time being, though, I decided to hear him out.

"You see, I knew you and a few others existed on this planet, but I wondered how I would gather each of you." My eyes narrowed into a confused expression, I'm sure, since he chuckled and continued. "Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Lord Nezule. You do not know me and technically I do not personally know you."

"Then you have falsified your expectance of my existence," I said dryly, un-amused thus far.

He chuckled again and looked at me with shockingly supernatural eyes. "No. You see, I have learned about you through others that have crossed your path while you were here on this…lively planet."

I couldn't help but smirk at his sarcastic nature.

"I have returned from the dead myself, you see," he continued. "You and I apparently had missed paths in the Other World. Where you were wished back by your planet's _dragonballs_ I was reborn through a warlord's mystical powers. He and I had a truce, but once I was reborn I had little use for him again since I had the perfect plan."

I nearly rolled my eyes as he droned on. "An interesting story to be heard, I'm sure, but I have no intentions on listening to it. I believe I shall destroy you now and continue on with my own plans."

"I think not. You see, I am not done with you yet. I need your power and I intend on getting it."

"Oh, I think not," I replied and swiftly threw a swing with my left hand.

It went straight through him.

I looked in detest as the image shifted and resumed its stance. It was a bloody hologram. I stood up again and glanced up at the ship. The image was being displayed by a small beam not far from the entrance.

But before I knew it something came from the ramp and engulfed my face. I struggled against it as it was not only something I was not expecting, but had never experienced. I felt as if it was plugging itself against my temples and draining me of all thought.

I couldn't tell what this device was doing…but I was starting to _see things_…

Memories of my birth in Gero's lab…

Leaving the present for the past in the time machine…

Meeting Goku…

Layrial…

The Cell Games…

Sasara…

Her son…

**xXx**

I opened my eyes and regained my senses to find myself laying flat on my back, my vision first seeing the open blue sky above me. I had never been so humiliated as to be knocked out by an odd device. Clearly the entire encounter with the ship was a set up, part of a greater plan. And clearly that ship was now gone.

I got to my feet and looked around, dusting my arms off and cracking my neck. Whoever this Nezule was, I did not like him. No one makes a fool of me…

Obviously my next step would be to find him…but again, I felt no source of power from any direction. This was becoming extremely frustrating in a short amount of time. I had never heard of the man and yet here he knew something about me. Although, if he had met up with any of my fellow Hell victims who were aware of Earth's warriors that would explain everything.

So what would he want with me and them at the same time? The only thing in common was our strength…and I daresay he would never get me or the likes of Gohan or Vegeta to join forces. Goku, last I had heard, was long dead and had decided himself not to be wished back to life. Vegeta was much older now and I couldn't imagine him going head-to-head with a foe and coming out the victor.

As I turned on my heal to move along with my hunt for this Nezule, I kicked something that clanked against the rocks on the ground. I glanced down to see a small round object, a device that looked like a poor design for a hockey puck. Once I picked it up, however, the same hologram burst to life and flung itself from my hand. I stood as if it never happened and gazed at the same image of this Nezule character.

"This is only a message, Cell, so do not try to ask questions or talk back to me," he said with a highly annoying cocky attitude. "I would like to thank you, though, for making my first attempts at occupying such incredible power far easier than expected. See, you coming to me saved me quite a hassle since you were going to be my most difficult catch. I already learned enough to help me catch the others, thanks to my new friends in Hell. However, you were the one that was a complete mystery.

"And here I never thought luring you would be such an obvious thing! You are probably asking yourself what I am talking about, aren't you? Well, ask no more. The answer is only in your head, my dear friend. You gave my Memorizer Robot enough information about your life that I have now found something you will definitely want to be looking for. Navigate yourself towards the west. You will find us there. Oh and Cell? You might want to hurry if you want them to live to see tomorrow."

The image clicked out and smoke rose from the tiny object as if it malfunctioned. I stared at it for a moment and thought about each word he said. I was not fond of other people's games, and it was apparent to me that he was playing me for something I was still not aware of. This Memorizer Robot must have been the machine that lunged at my head earlier and knocked me out for that period of time—a deed that sealed the fate of this Nezule character.

As I stood there I started to recall the memories that were dug up by this machine. There was something in my head that caught his attention that would lure me to him? _My friend, destroying you is enough of a reason to go after you following this encounter_, I thought to myself.

Then it dawned on me. The only thing that someone from the outside would think was important enough to me to save would be Sasara. It was far too simple to figure out, now that I thought of it. I was going to be the hardest of the others because they were all obviously entwined with personal lives on the side. I, on the other hand, left no traces in my life that I was ever involved with anything besides my mission to destroy this miserable planet.

If all of this were true, that would mean Sasara was in danger. But at this point, was I concerned about her safety? She was no longer mine to protect—in fact, it was made apparent to me that she was never mine to worry about. The game she played with me was unforgivable, even if the secret was something that should not have been close to the truth. I was contemptuous of my so-called child.

In essence, I was still only out for myself in life.


	8. Finale

**Hmm: **Fair warning, this chapter comes out to 7 pages on MS Word—just of story. These lyrics right below are their own page. I actually never include lyrics in my fanfiction, but there are two Nickelback songs that I like that actually fit the story line perfectly. The first is "Far Away." The second will be posted in the next chapter. I'm actually a bit disappointed that it does come out nicely on here like it does on Word...I had the stanzas all divided and stuff...but now its one massive text like a poem -- Sorry 'bout that.

Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad to see that I'm keeping everyone's interest :) Review again and please enjoy!!

**Chapter 8:** _Finale_

Prison gates won't open up for me

On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'

Oh, I reach for you

Well I'm terrified of these four walls

These iron bars can't hold my soul in

All I need is you

Come please I'm callin'

And oh I scream for you

Hurry I'm fallin'

Show me what it's like

To be the last one standing

And teach me wrong from right

And I'll show you what I can be

Say it for me

Say it to me

And I'll leave this life behind me

Say it if it's worth saving me

Heaven's gates won't open up for me

With these broken wings I'm fallin'

And all I see is you

These city walls ain't got no love for me

I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story

And oh I scream for you

Come please I'm callin'

And all I need from you

Hurry I'm fallin'

Show me what it's like

To be the last one standing

And teach me wrong from right

And I'll show you what I can be

Say it for me

Say it to me

And I'll leave this life behind me

Say it if it's worth saving me

Hurry I'm fallin'

And all I need is you

Come please I'm callin'

And oh I scream for you

Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

Show me what it's like

To be the last one standing

And teach me wrong from right

And I'll show you what I can be

Say it for me

Say it to me

And I'll leave this life behind me

Say it if it's worth saving me

**xXx**

I had decided that Sasara and her darling little boy were none of my concern and I should not bother wasting my time. I was not going to allow myself to run wild over the planet to find them. Finding this Nezule, however, was something I did want to pursue. I looked around but I did not find a trace of him within any near distance. He had to have traveled at least a good dozen miles or more because there was nothing remotely interesting in the way of energy.

I glanced back down at the small contraption that delivered his message to me. Did that man honestly think his cheap tricks would work on me? Perhaps if he were dealing with Goku or Gohan he would have won that round; however, he underestimated me. I was not going to fall for it. A human life lost was one less to worry about destroying later.

_This is absurd_, I told myself. Instead of heading west like the enemy suggested, I decided to head straight up into the atmosphere. I sped up quickly, feeling the rush of continuously cooling air breezing past my face and shoulders. Soon, I was amongst the stars, hovering over the blue planet. I stared straight down to the spot where I had come and wondered how long I should wait before hunting the fool down.

I needed to relax. I could feel the strong tension thickening in my shoulders and I knew that that could cause rash actions. I folded my arms loosely across my chest, my legs hanging below me as I concentrated on my position high above the Earth. I reflected briefly on the words spoken to me by my latest adversary, but I stopped on the last few sentences he had spoken in the recording. This is what I had to get past. Sasara and the boy were nothing to me. If they were then I would not have stayed away for so long. I would have come back much sooner.

_The problem was_, I said to myself, _is that you grew extremely bored without her to watch over._

I frowned, my eyes remaining shut. I took a deep breath even though there was no air to breathe in. I found myself softening and going into a profound state, letting loose all of the mental thoughts that were flooding my head. After several moments I knew I was much more relaxed and could think my strategy through.

"_Help!"_

My body jerked and I felt the tension returning almost immediately. I scrunched my face, trying to return to the peaceful state I had just put myself in, but again I heard the cry—"_Help us!" _

For some reason I felt like I was being pulled into an alternate state of thought. I knew I was baring my teeth at the sudden images that appeared, as if I was watching them right in front of me. I saw the enemy—Nezule—yanking on Sasara's son's arm. Sasara ran after them, but Nezule kicked her away.

_"Cell…Where are you? I need you…"_

My eyes popped open and I found myself still in space, although I was no longer calm and passive. Inside I felt the horrible urge to race down to save her, to prove to her that I was better than anyone she had ever met in her life. The problem was it would go against my purpose yet again. I had defied my nature over and over again and I had never gained anything from it. _Why_ was I feeling like this? Why did this woman have to be so important to my subconscious?

I felt a tear in my chest, as if someone was digging through it. I felt like I knew she was in grave danger. _You might want to hurry if you want them to live to see tomorrow…_

"Nezule…" I growled between clenched teeth. "I will destroy you…"

Immediately I sprang into action, my blood racing through my veins as I entered Earth's atmosphere once again. I hurried towards the direction I was supposed to go, wondering just how far he had taken her. As I raced to get to them, I thought of how I would approach the situation. Going in with nothing but destruction on my mind was wrong; it could only equal defeat in the end. Vegeta's past had told me this. I needed to be much more cunning, which would not be difficult given my persona, but the problem lied with Sasara. I did not want her to think I had changed my mind. I could not let her think she had won. So what would be the best way of going about this?

I was nearly twenty miles from the spot I had encountered the ship when I discovered an unfamiliar energy. I stopped and scanned the area with my eyes, looking for the source. There was only one person in the near distance—that had to be him. There were also four other weaker energies there as well. Four? It would make sense if there were two, but who could the other two possibly be?

These two unexpected people did not affect the situation on terms of who I was to be fighting since they were plain human contacts, but the question was who else would be appearing before or after me? I daresay I would not be happy to have someone else get in my way. I liked to work alone.

There was no more time to waste. I did not want to linger on the possibilities any longer. I moved forward and came upon a clearing, not much different than the landscaping of where I held my Cell Games. Nezule stood alone, Sasara and her son nearby. I looked closely at the other two people, but I did not recognize them. Both were women, one much older than the other.

Without further delay I hovered down to the ground, landing only ten meters or so behind Nezule. Sasara and her boy looked at me with a relieved expression. The other two women gasped in panic; the younger of the two stood tall, fists balled, in front of the elder.

"Ah, Cell!" Nezule addressed me without turning. "You finally made it! I was actually just about to give up on you and follow through with the murder of your woman and son."

The word "son" hit me, but I did not meet the eye contact he or Sasara looked for. "I am not here for them," I said firmly. "I came to destroy you. I do not take lightly to threats."

Nezule smiled and turned half around, glancing at Sasara first and then at me. "Sure you don't. I know you are one that likes a good challenge. So what do you say, Cell? Do you think you can defeat me before I drain you of your power?"

I couldn't suppress the laugh that came from my throat. "Is that what you are intending on doing with me? Stealing my power? If I had known that was your intentions all along I would have just ignored your threat."

"I beg your pardon?" He asked as the cockiness dissipated.

I smiled and put my hand on my hip. "Someone who is only out to gain power by taking it from others is nothing to worry about. At first I wondered who I was dealing with, but it should have been much clearer when you were not brave enough to face me in person when I followed your ship here. A hologram is rather pathetic, don't you agree?"

Nezule stopped and composed himself. "I heard about this side of you, Cell. You try to make yourself seem much more sophisticated by putting down others and pointing out their flaws. You are not the strongest man in the universe, thus you should not be boasting about your abilities too much."

I frowned at him. He was irritating me. "Well then," I stated, "why don't you try to take my energy and see just who is the better of us."

"Gladly."

With that Nezule turned and whipped out a long thin cable that zoomed towards me at a rate of speed I was unaccustomed to seeing with such objects. I ducked just in time for it to miss my shoulder, the length of it going limp and suddenly retracting to its owner. I focused on its source—it came from a device that seemed to be linked to his wrist. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him for this.

"A rope?" I questioned in jest. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Do not underestimate me, Cell," he replied with a certain amount of intended terror in his voice. "My devices are suited well for the purpose they serve."

"We shall see," I said and leapt forward. I used Goku's famous instant transmission technique that I had picked up from him during our last battle. I disappeared and reappeared behind Nezule, my knee coming up and connecting with the small of his back. He went sailing across the desert, dust flying along the line his body traveled. For at least a few moments, he was gone.

I stood up straight and proud since I knew I was now closer to Sasara. She looked up at me from her knelt position on the ground next to the boy.

"You came…" She said.

"Only with the desire to destroy him for trying to make a fool of me," I told her swiftly. "I am not here for you."

Sasara stood up, seemingly forgetting the youngster next to her. "Keep telling yourself that, Cell," she said steadfastly. "You are more talk in instances like this."

"Silence your mouth," I snapped at her. "You made your decision with me. It is only coincidence that he came after you. He thought I cared enough to save you."

"No, Cell," she said, "you made your own decision to turn your back on me and Satoru. You only did it so you wouldn't shame yourself. The only person you're fooling is yourself."

I chuckled. "Sasara, you truly are a feisty woman. But if you die today, I will not shed tears for you."

"Then kill me yourself."

Satoru's eyes widened and he looked up pleadingly to his mother as she said those words. Then he looked at me with complete despise. "You're just a coward because you're afraid of becoming too soft!"

"Satoru," Sasara lectured and pushed him behind her, never taking her eyes off of mine, which stared at the boy with pure dislike.

"You better teach the boy to shut his mouth," I said bitterly. "Unless he can back himself on his words."

"He's an eight-year-old boy, Cell," she said defensively. "He doesn't know what he's saying."

"Yes I do, Mommy!" Satoru lashed out and pushed against her hand that tried to keep him behind her. "You said that he left because he can't try to love us…that he doesn't want to. He hurt our family! You said that you'll just try to get over everything and go on, but I know you still cry!"

"Satoru!" She yelled.

"No!" the boy snapped and pulled away from her, tears filling his eyes. "I was happy when you said he was my dad…I thought he was the coolest person ever! But now I see that he is just a big jerk!"

"How dare you…" I seethed, but before the boy could hear my full reaction he ran off.

"Satoru!" Sasara yelled after him. "Satoru get back here!"

I saw the boy running much faster than an eight-year-old should…or at least someone who was just human. I was struck by this, but what caught my attention much faster was the fact something was heading right for him. Nezule had recovered and was heading back.

"Foolish child!" I growled and flew towards him. It took me no time to catch up. I pulled his arm and threw him over my shoulder. He yelled and tried to hit me, but I ignored him. I returned to Sasara and dumped him at her feet. "Keep your son in line, Sasara, if don't want to see him dead."

She glared at me, but I had far more important things to worry about. I turned my attention to Nezule, who was now standing only a short distance from us. But before either of us could say a word, a very familiar energy entered the area. I nearly stomped my foot in agitation. Why was it that every time I was about to do something on this rotten planet _he_ had to show up!?

Gohan stopped only a few meters away, standing guard in front of the other women. He looked a little older than I last remembered, but I'm sure his Saiyan genes hid his true age. He looked around, his eyes immediately falling on me.

"Cell, I should have known you were the cause of all of this," he said in a bold voice.

I smirked. "Gohan, you always assume you know it all," I said. "You failed on this one, though. I was attracted here by this outsider to our darling home planet."

"And who are you?" Gohan asked.

Nezule smiled and stood up as tall as he could. "So you are Gohan. And here I thought you would have made a much faster entrance than Cell since you are known as one of the greatest warriors of this planet. Perhaps it took you a little while to notice my message. But all the same, you realized I had your wife and mother. Pity your daughter wasn't home."

Gohan scowled. "She could have taken care of herself. You will pay for hurting them."

"Oh, they are not hurt," Nezule promised. "Although, I was about to kill Cell's little family before he arrived in the nick of time."

Gohan's eyes shifted towards me with Sasara and Satoru standing close by. I knew exactly what he was thinking—this was the first he or any one of the Z Fighters knew about my secret. I gave him a look of warning when I thought I saw his mouth open as if to ask or repeat what he just heard.

"Enough of this babble," I said. "Gohan, I have things perfectly under control. Take your little wife and elderly mother and be gone."

"Oh, I don't think so," Nezule said. "I am not letting you go except to the heavens." Without warning he threw out those same cords he had earlier to both Gohan and me. I dodged it more easily than before; Gohan, however, was easily caught.

Nezule laughed audibly as he swung Gohan in the air, wrapped tightly by the black cable. Gohan struggled, but Nezule obviously had a good hold on him. I watched, unsure if I wanted to bother to save the person who had once destroyed me, humiliated me, and ruined me. However, I was still uncertain if Nezule did have the capabilities of sucking the energy from his enemies. Having him succeed with Gohan would only make things a little more difficult.

To my complete surprise, however, Nezule held onto him without making a move. Gohan continued to struggle, but the line that had come after me twisted away and went at lightning speed towards Gohan's wife and mother.

"NO!" He hollered.

Low and behold, however, his wife had the ability to fly. She grabbed the old lady and barely made it out. Gohan seemed a bit more relaxed, but Nezule frowned. As he began shooting energy beams at the women Gohan started to power up. I saw from the reaction the alien man gave that this was exactly what he wanted. He loosened his hold on Gohan and allowed the half-Saiyan to break free. Gohan continued to power up, but before he could finish Nezule's tentacle jabbed him through the arm.

The yell that admitted from Gohan's mouth was shameful from a so-called warrior, but the impressive part was that he quickly recovered. Unfortunately, though, I witnessed how Nezule planned on getting our power. The cable had turned blue as it struck Gohan's flesh before he freed himself from its grasp.

Gohan returned to the ground, leaving Nezule staring down at us. "What the hell is he all about?"

I glared up at the man as he retracted his cords. "He calls himself Lord Nezule and claims he is here to take our energy to strengthen himself."

"You're joking," Gohan said, staring at me from under that bush of yellow hair Saiyans gained after they powered up.

I threw him a glare and narrowed my eyes. "I do not joke," I told him. "But I see now how he plays his cheap tricks. Avoid those lines of his and you may make it out alive, Gohan."

"Oh I already planned on it." Gohan leapt into the air and made a second attempt. But when Nezule twisted around and started heading for the two women again, Gohan decided he needed to protect them instead of playing the offensive for now.

"Pathetic Saiyan," I said to myself. "I must always do things myself."

I sprang from my feet and used the instant transmission again to try to get a better take-off on the fight I planned on starting. Nezule saw it coming and took me head on, matching me fist for fist, knee for knee. I had to hand it to him; he was much more agile and stronger than I gave him credit for.

Another black cord came shooting out of his wrist, but I dodged it. When a second came, I moved above him until suddenly I realized he had the ability to unleash multiple cords at the same time. They all flung themselves at me, and before I could disentangle myself from the circular entrapment, one caught my foot. I pulled as hard as I could, but it held an impressively strong grip.

I began to struggle to free myself—a feat I was unwilling to even admit as it was happening. As I turned to try to deliver yet another blow to Nezule's face, a second cord captured my arm and held me hostage. I was now being held by opposite corners, unable to free myself. The problem was I knew if I powered up more to fight him he had the best opportunity to stab me with those things.

"Let's see how much you don't care for them," he taunted.

A beam of yellow-orange light shot from his index finger and directed its path straight for Sasara. I held in my rage, but my heart began to unwillingly race as I helplessly watched it zoom for her. Nezule cackled at the top of his lungs. He must have felt the tension swelling within me.

Gohan made a move to save them, but before he could get any further he had to avoid three mechanical tentacles. He stopped as they created a barrier. It all seemed to be playing in slow motion before my eyes. The energy beam continued to travel down to where Sasara and the boy stood. I willed her to move, but it seemed she was frozen in place.

And then…something unexpected happened. Satoru grabbed her hand and jumped nearly three meters into the air to pull her away. The blast hit the ground and shattered the dry earth, dust and small pieces of rock billowing over a five meter radius. Ahead, Sasara and Satoru lay on the ground, shaken by what had just happened.

"Ah," Nezule said as he tightened the grip he had on me. I continued to pull in attempts to free myself, but my efforts were useless. Even I could not budge. Whatever these mechanical things were made out of, they were extremely durable. "The boy is strong. I thought he had a similar energy feeling to you, Cell."

"He is a mere human," I said truthfully.

"Human yes," Nezule replied, "but weak no. You must be blind to not see that the boy has an inner power. Do you not acknowledge him as your own son, Cell?"

I said nothing. Thankfully the words stopped for Gohan had come flying up and started throwing blast after blast, obviously having no concern if he hit me. I was able to deflect them with my one free arm. Nezule, though, could not hold on to both of us. I started to get away when a line came crashing into my leg, its sharp end cutting my flesh and digging itself straight through.

The pain seared through me with unbelievable strength. I ground my teeth together to suppress the yell that wanted to escape. The cable came back around and wrapped itself around my leg so tightly I felt like it would squeeze the blood out. This time, though, I could not let him get away with it. I powered up, my energy rushing through every muscle in my body. Gohan continued to make his own attacks as I did this, but Nezule seemed not to care.

I realized why immediately. As I felt I was starting to gain my next level of power it started to dissipate. As I powered up Nezule sucked it into his own body. I stopped immediately, but he grabbed me with both arms and held me in a death grip.

"Now you see I was not lying to you," he whispered harshly in my ear. "I shall suck your energy dry, and then kill your precious woman and son."

"Over my dead body!" I yelled and somehow managed to get past the pain that gripped my leg and break free of his hold. I felt I had succeeded on my own accord, but Gohan had appeared behind him and clashed his fist into Nezule's neck.

I backed off, inspecting the damage to my right thigh. It bled the purple liquid slowly, but I was not finished off—not by a long shot. Gohan came to my side, both of us watching as Nezule regained himself.

"We're going to have to work together to beat this guy," he told me. I listened, already realizing this fact before he mentioned it. "Its enough to be able to beat him physically, but the other has to distract those damn _things_ he uses to attack us. Otherwise he has no real abilities. He's all robot."

"As if I didn't already figure that out," I sneered. "He also is going to continue playing the loved-one game. They are not safe here. Take them somewhere better. I shall fight him."

"No way!" Gohan exclaimed. "I'm not letting you have all the fun. Videl! Watch out for those two over there, will ya?"

"As if your woman can protect herself and three others," I pointed out.

"She's better than you think," he tried to assure me.

I shook my head. "I'm doing this my way, Gohan. Play along if you must, but do not get in my way."

"Yes, don't get in his way, Gohan," Nezule said from behind us. During our short squabble we both stupidly lost track of him. "Especially now that he's injured and has given me a good deal of his energy."

"You bastard," I muttered and lunged. I knew it was not the best of things to do, but I was furious. I fought him in hand-to-hand combat, Gohan suddenly jumping in. We both delivered as much as we possibly could at the same time, trying to find a way to knock him out for good.

Then at the same time, and much to my dismay, we both were hit with such force we went sailing back into the plateau in the far distance. The rock crumbled around us, burying us in the falling debris. My rage was at its peak and I could no longer stand this humiliation. I blew the rubble off of me, unintentionally freeing Gohan from his temporary tomb at the same time.

"MOM!" Gohan yelled and immediately took off towards her. During this short downside, Nezule had knocked his wife out and was now threatening the old woman. Gohan raced for her, Nezule shooting out those damn robotic tentacles once again.

I took this opportunity to power up. My nails dug into my palms as I tightened my fists, the surge of power washing over me with great intensity. I was about to make my move when I saw him drop the old lady and suddenly leap into the air, his attention focused on the very people I swore I would not protect…

"DAMN YOU!" I hollered and took off like a bat out of hell. I saw not one or two, but as many as five spikes leaping from the plate on Nezule's arm. I pushed myself as much as I possibly good. If I failed, they would die…


	9. Savior

**Second to last one:** As that says, there's one more chapter after this. This one is actually pretty short, but combining it with the other would've made it far too long. Again, lyrics from Nickelback, this song being "Far Away." Umm...there's not much else I have to say...except the usual--read, review, enjoy! :)

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**Chapter 9:** _Savior_

This time, this place misused, mistakes

Too long, moo late

Who was I to make you wait?

Just one chance

Just one breath

Just in case there's just one left

'Cause you know,

you know, you know

That I love you

I have loved you all along

And I miss you

Been far away for far too long

I keep dreaming you'll be with me

and you'll never go

Stop breathing if

I don't see you anymore

On my knees, I'll ask

Last chance for one last dance

'Cause with you, I'd withstand

All of hell to hold your hand

I'd give it all

I'd give for us

Give anything but I won't give up

'Cause you know,

you know, you know

That I love you

I have loved you all along

And I miss you

Been far away for far too long

I keep dreaming you'll be with me

and you'll never go

Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore

So far away

Been far away for far too long

So far away

Been far away for far too long

But you know, you know, you know

I wanted

I wanted you to stay

'Cause I needed

I need to hear you say

That I love you

I have loved you all along

And I forgive you for being away for far too long

So keep breathing 'cause I'm not leaving you anymore

Believe it, hold onto me, never let me go

Hold onto me, never let me go

Hold onto me, never let me go

**xXx**

Satoru was obviously far too afraid to repeat his rescue like before. Sasara held him tightly. The rest of the scenery became black in my vision; the only thing I could focus on was their terrorized faces. I focused my index and middle fingers touching my forehead and I disappeared with the thought.

I reappeared only a few meters from where they stood. I miscalculated the distance. I had little time to react at this point—the spikes were closing in at an intense rate of speed. With one last leap I darted forward and skidded to a halt directly in front of Sasara. Her blue eyes looked at me with such fear that I felt I didn't even recognize their beauty.

And then they hit. All five of them. My lungs stopped inhaling, my body tightened and I became very numb. My mouth opened and I let out a few gasps for air, the shock of the blow still not connecting with my brain. Finally I was able to glance down and see blue sparks shouting at me as the tentacles stuck out of my abdomen, one out of my chest—it felt like it had pierced my heart.

Nezule appeared behind me, his feet hitting the ground sounding louder than normal due to the sudden silence all around. I heard a snicker from his throat and he jerked me at the end of his lines. "Perfect," he said, the word striking me in a way I had never felt. "I'll let those just sit for a while," he said and I felt yet another jerk. "They'll drain you of your power and you will die. I'll collect it when I am done with Gohan."

Whether he was still paying attention to me or not, I did not know nor care. I fell to my knees, Sasara simultaneously falling with me, her hands reaching out and taking my shoulders to lay me down. In the distance I heard Gohan engaging in another fight with Nezule, but I couldn't bring myself to care to watch. I had never felt such agony. It felt like the stabbing pain hit me over and over with every breath I took. Any other injury I had sustained in the past could not equal to this.

"Cell," Sasara said, tears flooding her eyes. "You'll be fine…you just have to pull them out and you'll be okay."

"No," I said knowing full well this was my end. They had hit me where no living creature could survive—not even a biomechanical android. "Sasara…I failed you."

"Don't start on me, do you hear? You didn't fail me…it's my fault. I should have told you everything when you came back. I'm ashamed of what I did."

"Stop," I said trying to be stern. I looked up at her face, my hand reaching up and touching her soft cheek. "I…I want you to do something for me."

"I want you to stop talking like this," she tried to joke, a smile tugging at her mouth, but it couldn't hold.

"Sasara…"

"I'll do anything for you…_anything_," she stammered.

"Please forgive me?" I said. For the first time in my life I was asking for forgiveness. I was pleading with someone to do something for me, to allow me to express myself.

She clutched me tighter, and over her shoulder I saw Satoru, tears welling up in his eyes and leaking out. "I forgive you," she said. "I never meant anything I said to you…I was just angry that last time. I really didn't mean it."

I tried to sit up, but the rods would not allow it. "Know one thing," I said and gave a quick glance at Satoru before returning my gaze into Sasara's eyes. "I have loved you all along." I started to drift…I couldn't hold on much longer. My energy was nearly spent thanks to the spikes that were embedded in me.

"Daddy, no!!" The shouting made me open my eyes once again to see Satoru pushing past his mother and standing over me. "I won't let you die!"

"Get off me," I ordered him, trying to push him off.

He resisted, his small hands clutching one of the rods. He yelled as they zapped him, Sasara trying to pull him away with one hand. He kicked past her and continued to pull and pull…

I didn't think it were possible for the boy to have any sort of strength beyond normal capabilities of a creature. Yet…he started to dislodge what was killing me. He pulled with all of his might, his face becoming beat red with the pressure. And then with a swift move, he freed me of one of the metal pieces.

Sasara and I both stared at the now dead spear, dormant now that it had no power to suck out of a victim. Satoru paid it no attention—he knew that the others had to come out as well. He grabbed a second and third with two hands and pulled harder, the desperation clearly written all over his face. He had used so much of his energy to pull the first one out, I didn't think it possible to succeed a second time. The tears flowed freely from his eyes, his mouth muttering random words I could not understand. He started yelling, a great surge of power circling around him.

I had never been so impressed with any one thing—aside from myself—in my existence. A human boy, a young child that I discredited as my own was powering up for the first time. I was shocked at how much he had hidden within him. The spears were pulled free and by now Satoru was so enraged he had little struggles with the last two.

I sat up more, the weight of the rods now gone. I stared at my son, exhausted from his feat. His power was gone, energy completely drained. My breathing felt jagged and it still seared with pain. I was not saved—but I would die much slower now and my power would not become part of Nezule.

The alien turned from battling Gohan, whom he had just flung across the desert for a second time. "Impossible…" He choked. "A child cannot do such a thing! Your energy was to be mine!"

"You can't hurt my dad!" Satoru yelled at him, stepping in front of me as if to protect me further.

"Move away, Satoru," I ordered him. I pulled his arm and he stumbled back next to his mother. I got to my feet, Sasara pulling at my hand as I pushed myself up.

"You can't," she said. "You're too weak to fight!"

I glared at her. "The word _weak_ is not in my vocabulary."

"Perhaps not," Nezule smirked. "But I have other ways to make you suffer. I have enough of your power to say I stole it from you. I still have others I shall drain."

I lunged. I knew I was running on pure adrenaline now and it would only be so long before I ran out of steam. I could not waste a moment; I had to defeat him. Nezule bypassed me and immediately swept towards Sasara and Satoru. Sasara had moved to guard her son, but the larger man kicked her aside. I unconsciously bared my teeth as I landed on the ground to gain my footing for another attack.

When he took Satoru I saw nothing but red. I felt my android instincts kick in, as if I was nothing but a killing machine with one mission—destroy the enemy. My body felt nothing more as I used the instant transmission to appear behind Nezule. I raised my fist, his eyes shocked that I was still capable of moving so rapidly.

"Let go of my boy!" I shouted at him moments before my fist smashed into his face. His arms let Satoru go and I took him into my own, moving backwards to separate him from the beast.

Just as I was about to release him and finish the job, Gohan returned. I didn't know he was there until I heard the familiar "Kamehameha" command rip through the sky. Nezule barely had enough time to react and use the stolen energy to fire back with his own attack.

Satoru held my arm, his eyes, like my own, locked on the battle. Nezule was loosing, but Gohan's power was weaker than it was when he was a child thus giving him a disadvantage of making it a quick defeat. I knew that Nezule's concentration had to be broken.

"Stay here," I ordered the boy. He did not argue as I let him go and powered up one last blast.

I held the orb in my palm for one short moment, thinking on how life had come to this point. I was saving Earth's hero—the very man who as a child defeated me. I was saving my son and the woman I discovered I could not bear to be separated from. I knew that this was the last thing I could do to make my life mean something since my original purpose in my design had long been forgotten.

"Die," I said under my breath as I threw the ball, giving it more power as it freed itself from my grasp. Nezule saw it coming and must have known he was finished. Gohan used this chance, much like the time I was in Nezule's spot, to give one last push of energy.

Then, it was over. My body was broken. I do not even remember dying.


	10. Clemency

The Last Fight

6

**The End:** Well everyone, this is it…the final chapter. I thank **Thomas Drovin** and **queenKathBallZ** for their replies—I appreciate it :D And my confession to everyone is that I had this chapter written right after uploading chapter 9—so those who predicted, well, let's see if you're right or not ;) Just for a little trivia, the part where Cell had been…stabbed? by those spikes or whatever was an idea I got from Sailor Moon, actually. I remember an earlier episode where that happened to one of the bad guys…and the whole draining-of-the-energy thing was from that episode. And I haven's seen Sailor Moon in years…wow. Also, it was noted that Cell said "Let go of my boy" in a review…yes, he said that for the reason you thought. The "my" was the important part. That line is actually from Free Willy, at the very end when the foster father says it. I just recently saw that movie, so I thought it fit well. (Good movie, btw…)

I do plan at some point to write Sasara's point of view for this story; I feel that since all of the stories in this series were basically giving Layrial or Sasara's view that the last one should as well. I think Cell's was interesting, though.

And not that I'm promoting, but I am going to be working on a new story all together—still Cell—but its going to be taking on a different theme. Yes, romance, drama, etc. but I think it'll be a different twist :)

Anyway, enjoy this one. I doubt there will be a sequel, but I've been saying that for what…two years now? Ha. Please review, as always, and tell me how you liked the story as a whole…and just for haha's, which of the 6 was your favorite :)

Take care! Best wishes :)

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**Chapter 10:** _Clemency_

"Stay in line! Follow the spirit in front of you! Next!"

I watched as a line of what looked like small bouncing clouds lined themselves up along a very long and narrow path. I stood off to the side; my dread of what I knew was coming ringing in the back of my mind.

"Back again, are ya?" A nasty blue ogre smirked. "Been a while, though! Guess you just couldn't stay away, eh?"

"Shut that over-sized hole in your face," I spat. "You detest me."

"Big talk from someone who's dead again and heading off to Hell for what—the fifth time?" He laughed. "Give me your hands. You know the drill, Cell."

I knew from previous experiences that resisting this wretched person was useless. Upon my first arrival in Other World I had done just that—fought him, tried to kill him, moved to escape. Before I knew it there were half a dozen oversized ogres on top of me, holding me in such a bind that I was humiliated into giving up.

I held out my arms for him to slap on—which he did harder than necessary—the glowing green handcuffs. They were specially designed for someone like me who was deemed as highly dangerous. They prevented anyone who wore them from powering up; as far as I understood they were indestructible. The one time I tried to fight them I was zapped with an electric force that was rather embarrassing to admit almost hurt.

Once the lock was set I let my arms fall in front of me. The nameless ogre laughed again and pushed me off the edge of the platform to put me in line. Two escorts appeared behind me to make sure I did not try to run off. They did not have to worry this time; I was not going to try any attempts of escape. Regardless of how hard anyone did try to get out, they were still dead and could not return to where they had come. It would only be a matter of time before he or she appeared in Hell. Those destined for Heaven were unlikely to resist.

I waited in line for hours. It was a long and tedious process. Everyone from the universe that died appeared in this line, regardless of how they perished. Those who had power, a fighting ability so-to-speak, were allowed to keep their bodies as if being honored for their strength. Those who were commoners turned into those pathetic little clouds I became surrounded by.

Two came bounding up beside me, bouncing around like little maniacs. One was pushed by the other and bumped into me. I looked down, my expression unflattering I'm sure. Both clouds squealed and dodged forward. Since they were faceless and their language made no sense to me, I could not understand the reactions. I'm sure being in my own body was enough to scare them off.

Finally the Other World Welcome Center appeared in the distance. I sighed to myself, which only made my two escorts snicker to the other. One pushed me to move ahead, knowing full well they could boss me around for a while longer since I could not attack them back. The ogres stationed in Hell knew better than to come after me, but I would not even harass them—or at least for now. I knew it was completely against my nature to allow such treatment to myself, but I did not care. I suppose you could say I was depressed that I was once again dead, failed in everything I attempted to do, and by the time I realized what I really wanted I was far too late to get it.

"NEXT!"

"That's you, bug man!" The red ogre pushed me forward.

I gave him a loathing stare as I moved forward and away from his grasp. I absolutely despised the ogres in this wretched pit. But alas, I would get to spend eternity staring at their ugly faces and be forced to inhale their disgusting odors.

"Hands!"

"I am right here, you don't need to shout," I spat.

"Just keep moving, we don't have all day, android," he said as he released my wrists from the cuffs.

Once again I was shoved forward through the large doorway into the single monstrous room of the welcoming center. The person in charge was called King Yama—an absurdly oversized ogre the size of a twenty-story building. He sat at a desk built to fit him, a wooden hammer in one hand, and a pen in the other hovering over a large book.

"Alright, who's next?" His voice boomed through the room.

I stood there, arms crossed, my eyes focused on nothing in particular but looking as if I was staring off to the side.

"Oh no, Cell again?" He said with a large sigh. "No question on your destination." He raised the mallet to give the order, but I heard nothing.

My eyes snapped out of their staring into space and I glanced up at him. A rather small ogre in a shirt and tie and thick glasses hovered on a cloud next to Yama's ear, whispering something. I waited, wondering what the hold up was. The faster to Hell, the better, so I could get out of this stuffy room.

"Figures…change of plans," Yama said glaring at me, eyes wide and surprise clearly hitting him hard. "The Supreme Kai wants to see you. What you did to earn such an honorable merit I can't even imagine—your record still isn't clean for this latest life you had."

"I beg your pardon?" I said, my own face drawing an expression of astonishment.

"Move along!" The red ogre escort boomed suddenly from behind me. I followed the invisible trail laid before me towards a side room I never noticed existed before. The doorway was small compared to the rest of the place—obviously not intended for Yama.

The ogres stood to the side, leaving me to enter the normal sized room on my own. I moved past them, holding my breath so I did not have to smell the reek of their body. I couldn't possibly imagine who the hell the Supreme Kai was, nor did I care. He would offer me nothing of interest, if that is what I was moving towards. Although perhaps since I had died so many times it was time for them to exterminate me so I could not, by some strange chance, be revived only to die again.

"Good afternoon, Cell," a smooth voice said from the side. "I believe you may remember me—my name is Kaioshin."

My vision focused to the less bright room to see a purple man with a mass of white hair coming towards me. Immediately I recognized the person, dressed in his regal-like outfit. "What do you want?" I asked with an annoyed response.

"Well," he stared, "I'm aware of what happened on Earth yesterday."

"Yesterday, huh?" I said, unaware of the time-lapse. "Your Other World is slowing down—it usually only takes me half a day to get to Hell when I die."

"Your body was kept dormant for a while when you died," he said. "I was given a suggestion by a fellow Earthling that I had to think about before making a move."

"Get to the point," I said. "I'm not in the mood for games."

"Patience," the Kaioshin said. "You would rather hurry off to Hell?"

"It's where I'm destined to go so there is no reason in delaying," I replied. "What do you want from me?"

"I want nothing," he said with a small smile. "I merely have an offer for you, if you will hear it." When I did not open my mouth again, he took that as a go-ahead to continue. "Gohan came to me after your battle with Nezule, not long after you died. He told me of what happened and of whom you were protecting."

"Good for him," I drawled. "Nezule, however, was not a threat to planet Earth, so why you are interested is beyond me."

Kaioshin tried to hide the frown from my words that obviously was getting to him a bit. "I am aware of that. I know, however, that your treatment of the situation was based more on a personal level. I realized upon first meeting you in person that you had somehow found it within yourself to protect the life of a human woman—if I'm not mistaking two at the time? According to Gohan, you still protect one of them and you even had a son with her."

"By chance," I said.

"I know the story, actually," he told me. "After hearing about Gohan's suggestion I wondered how it was possible you had a human son. I looked up your file."

"My what?"

"Your file," he repeated. "You as well as any other spirit have a file that is kept on their life. Yours is unusually long because of your multiple deaths and revivals, although I do believe Goku holds the record on file length. I saw what happened to you some years ago—your human experience. You actually saved a large population of people then as well."

"What is your point, Kai?" I said, my arms tensing across my chest with the time it was taking him to tell me the offer.  
"I offer you the chance to live once again—your _last_ chance at life," he said. "And this time, I will revive you myself. The suggestion given to me was not to restore you, however, as you are now. I will grant you humanity."

I laughed and turned away from him, tempted to return to Yama and have him finally send me to Hell. "You're wasting my time."

"Am I?" Kaioshin replied. "As far as I see it, you want to be alive again and fix what you have broken—namely your relationship with Sasara and Satoru."

The names being spoken from behind nearly sent a shiver down my back. How he was able to dig out thoughts that were…nearly word for word…made me sick to my stomach. The fool had the ability to read minds. However, I shook my head. "They are better off without the likes of me. I attract danger, much like Goku did."

"Goku is a different story, though," said Kaioshin. "You're an android and can alter your form. Goku is a Saiyan, destined to always be one therefore never being able to hide himself. You have the qualities of humans, Saiyans and others in your genes. You already saw that you could transform into a human with certain magical properties added. I'm going to allow you to do it again and live out the rest of your life with those I know deep down you love, whether you admit it to yourself or not."

I stood there, shocked to no end that this was happening to me. In a way I would love to see the look on Dr. Gero's face if he could hear what was being offered to his greatest achievement, his perfect android.

The memories of my existence came flooding back so quickly, it was as if I was downloading them. I clearly remember my first steps on solid ground, hunting humans everywhere to suck up their bioextract so I could become strong enough to combine Androids 17 and 18 into my being. I stole Trunks' time machine and went to the past to find those androids; I succeeded and gained my perfect form. I created the Cell Games…met Layrial…

Meeting her was the detour. Had I destroyed her like the rest of her TV crew I never would be standing here in the presence of this so-called god, being offered a chance to return to Earth to live out a _human life_ with Layrial's daughter and grandson. Damn that woman for tempting me—damn her daughter for succeeding in making me succumb to temptation.

"What will it be Cell?"

My brain raced quickly. It should be a no-brainer, as some would call it. Should I return to Earth as a human? Would my life be better? Or will I be completely bored and hate myself for eternity for choosing that path?

"Will I still have my powers?" I asked suddenly.

"Most," Kaionshin replied. "Obviously ones that were unique to others that you had embedded in your cells will not follow you, such as your regenerative strength. But you will still have your fighting skills and such. You will probably take a power decrease though since your body will not be able to physically hold it—or at least at first."

So I would have some of my power…but I would not be the same. If I said yes, I would become human—the very creature I said I would destroy, the very being I said I hated with every living cell in my body. Yet if I turn this down and walk away…I would never see her again…

"Cell? You have to make up your mind," Kaioshin said. "It's either humanity or eternity in Hell."

I turned to this Supreme Kai, my mind settled. I looked at my chalky white hands, black fingernails, green-speckled arms. I had worked so hard to achieve what I had become and now…I was going to be just like everyone else that I fought against on Earth.

"I accept your offer," I said softly.

"Very well," Kaioshin said, a smile creeping along his purple face. "I think that was the best choice."

"Shut up and change me before I decide to just go to Hell," I scoffed.

I ignored his hand as it raised and pointed towards me. I felt the shift taking place immediately, my wings retreating into my shoulders, the crest on my head shrinking, my feet adding toes. It did not feel the same as I did last time I became human; this time wasn't as…unpleasant.

When I opened my eyes I saw brightness all around me, grass and trees ahead and a blue sky above. I looked around and saw no one around me. I was alone. I raised my hand to eyelevel and saw the peach skin, my arm covered in a black sleeve. As I looked over the rest of my human body I noticed the Kai had dressed me in a black shirt, blue pants, and white shoes. I was human once again. This time, however, I felt my full power instead of feeling feeble and worthless to my purpose.

I couldn't resist the temptation to power up, my blood rushing through me as I built up my energy, a gust of wind swirling around my body, my hair whipping against my face. It felt incredible to be alive again and to be returned with my power. I felt it was as the Kai said it might be; I had taken a cut, but it was not as dramatic as I feared it could have been.

There was one last task now. I had to locate Sasara's new home. I leapt into the air and flew towards Eastern City, feeling it was the best bet to start looking. As I traveled over the landscaping I came across a lake. I swept down to take a look at my reflection. I looked the same as I did the first time I was human—same eyes as I always had, black hair and a narrow face. Despite the human characteristics, I could see I was the same.

Finding Sasara was not as difficult as I thought it could have been. I had an inkling that she would not have moved too far from her first location. In fact, she moved only a few kilometers away. I detected Satoru's energy, thus being able to be sure of their location.

I landed on the ground in the front yard. Their house was on a large piece of land, the nearest neighbor perhaps a kilometer away. It was no larger or smaller than the old, which made me wonder why she bothered to move in the first place. I did not care. I had found her.

As if fate planned this meeting, the front door opened. She stepped out onto the stoop, a bag slung over her shoulder suggesting she was going somewhere. "Stay here and be good," she said to whom I assumed was Satoru inside. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

She moved forward, closing the door behind her; her head came up and her eyes immediately locked on me standing before her. The keys fell from her hand; the house door slowly fell open again. It took several moments for her to stare at me before she moved again. "I can't believe it…"

"Neither can I," I said to her. And as if that were her cue, she dropped her bag and ran over to me, jumping into my arms. I held her possessively, feeling the first fleet of humanity washing over me. I looked over her shoulder to see Satoru opening the door further, a smile appearing across his face. Upon seeing him now, I saw how much he resembled me.

"How did--?" Sasara started, but I put my hand to her mouth gently.

"Lets just say this was one fight I didn't mind losing," I replied and looked ahead to see my son running for us. Over thirty years of being an android and fighting to destroy everything that lay in my path, I had created something that I now saw was more important than I gave credit for. Now I see why Goku and Vegeta lived as they did—it gave them true meaning.


End file.
